I won't let go
by Applejackisthebestpony
Summary: Smellerbee was outspoken, brash, and sometimes her loud mouth got her into trouble. But when it came to the matter of her past, her lips were sealed. Not many knew the horrific story of how the Fire Nation took over her village and brutally murdered her entire family. But things changed for the better (or so she thought) when seven year old Smellerbee was made a Freedom Fighter...
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey everybody! This is my very first A:TLA fanfic ever! Yay!**_

_**Okay, so this about Smellerbee, my favorite character. I want to explain that "Talee" is her old name. There was some confusion about that when I had my beta readers look it over. It's pronounced "T-a(long a)-leeee"**_

_**Okay, enjoy and please please please review! :D**_

I open my eyes. The sun is just rising, the earth still shaking off the chill of the night before. This is my favorite time of day. I jump out of bed and throw on my dress, not bothering with shoes, and run with near silent footsteps to the front door and fling it open.

I stand in the doorway for a moment, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths through my nose. The rich, crisp, earthy smell fills my lungs and energy courses through my veins. I shut the door and run through the town, just for the sake of running. I laugh and scream just to hear the sound of my voice. I leap and jump just to feel the air rush at my face. I laugh for pure delight. I've heard old ladies talking when they think I'm not listening, they say I have a musical laugh, like a little meadow lark, young and full of life and innocence. Even though most six year old girls are innocent, I am full of life. I enjoy every minute of it; I feel every fiber in my body come alive on mornings like this one. I live the way I want to, running, shrieking, and jumping. I will most likely still be doing that at thirty. I don't care what people think, I feel _alive_.

I slow down when I near the well in the center of town. Panting, I grin as I see my friend, May Sung, sitting next to the well, her back pressed against the cold stones, singing.

"May Sung!" I call as I skip over to my friend. May Sung looks startled. Then she looks perturbed.

"Talee! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she scolds me.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear me coming!" I laugh as I sit down next to her, "What were you singing? It was beautiful."

"Oh, nothing. Just nonsense I made up," May Sung blushes. I roll my eyes. She is sooooo stiff! I leap to my feet, pulling May Sung up with me.

"Come on! Let's run!" I tug her arm. May Sung sighs.

"Can't you sit still for a moment Talee?" she whines. I stick out my tongue.

"You sound like my Mom! Come on! You'll feel like a bird!" I promise. May Sung looks about her nervously.

"But, my mother says…" she begins. I laugh my musical laugh.

"Oh come on!" I drag her along. I run ahead of May Sung laughing and shrieking. May Sung runs hesitantly at first, and then gathers up her long skirts and runs pell-mell like me, screaming and laughing hysterically as well.

We were making quite a racket so I guess it's only logical that people would wake up. And I guess it's only logical that these people would be grumpy. And I guess it's only logical that four of these people would happen to be our parents.

Just as Old Lady Kanik is scolding us, waving her cane and making quite a commotion, our mothers come storming down the street. May Sung begins to shake. Her mother drags her off, scolding her for being out so early and for screaming and asking her how unladylike was she? May Sung begins to cry. My mother grabs my by the ear without a word and drags me back home.

"Ow! Ow! Hey!" I protest. When we finally get home, Mom let go.

"Ouch!" I rub my sore ear, "I need that ear!"

"Talee…" Mom groans, sounding weary, "How many times have we told you?! You can't be screaming and waking everybody up!"

"About a hundred billion," I grin impishly.

"Talee," says Mom in a warning tone. I hang my head.

"Sorry," I mumble. Mom sighs.

"Just go get ready for school," she says.

"Do I _have_ to go to school?" I whine, "It's a bunch of crotchety old people telling me stuff I already know!"

"Talee, you aren't that smart. Every day you come home and tell me all the new things you've learned so don't give me that," Mom reprimands, "And don't disrespect your teachers! Hurry now!" I sigh but nod. I run off to my room and pull out my school uniform, sticking my tongue out at how restricting it is. A dark green dress with a brown vest, both very tight, is what I have to wear every day. I hate it because I can't run very well in them but Mom insists. I tear off my play dress and pull on my school one. I begin to sing some silly song, with no distinct words, it just sounds like gibberish. But I'm very proud of my voice; it's beautiful, high, and lilting, but it can also be low and rich. When I am finally dressed, Mom grabs me just before I dash out the door and puts my long brown hair into two braids. Finally, I'm allowed to go. I run, as fast as my dress will allow me, down the path to school. I keep tripping over the shoes I'm required to wear, so I stop. I study the flowers that grow by the path and in the gardens instead.

Soon, May Sung comes walking down the road as well. She has her hands clasped in front of her, and her steps are short and measured, just like a little lady's should be.

I am just studying a particularly interesting flower in Old Lady Kanik's garden and am about to pull it up as revenge for earlier when I catch sight of my friend.

"May Sung!" I jump up and fall in step with her.

"Go away Talee!" pouts May Sung.

"What's wrong?" I ask, completely oblivious.

"Wrong?! I got yelled at because of you! Besides, I'm not supposed to play with you anymore. Mama says that the daughter of a government official should act more civilized. She says if I associate with you, I'll be just like you," May Sung sticks her nose prissily in the air.

"But your dad is a government official too!" I point out.

"Yes, but _I_ act like it!" snaps May Sung. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever! See you at school!" I start walking at a normal pace, and I quickly lose May Sung because of her slow pokeness.

I soon reach the brick building where dozens of children are swarming. It's a big town and lots of kids go to the academy. I spot my best friend, Jeng.

"Jeng!" I yell as I dance up to her. Jeng looks up from the scroll she was reading.

"Talee!" she leaps up from the bench she'd been sitting on. We collide in a boisterous hug. When we break apart, I point at the scroll that Jeng is holding.

"What's that?" I ask. Jeng sticks her tongue out in disgust.

"My homework," she hands it to me. I open it up and skim it.

"Weren't we supposed to read this a week ago? The report is due today," I say, handing the scroll back to Jeng. She sighs.

"Yeah, and my Mom is going to kill me if I miss another assignment. I don't have the best grades right now. Can I copy yours?" pleads Jeng. I shake my head.

"No way! _I'm_ not getting called into the headmaster's office again! I wasn't allowed outside for a _week_!" Just then, the bell rings. Jeng and I jump to our feet.

"Come on," Jeng sighs, "Six hours of torture, confusion for me, and a cage for you." I nod grimly in agreement. I view any building keeping me inside a cage.

Head Mistress Dee Yu raps her ruler on her desk and the noisy class finally quiets down.

"Today we will begin with history," Mistress Dee Yu says as she walks out from behind her desk.

"Why? It's just about a bunch of dead people," I interject, grinning when my classmates laugh. Mistress Dee Yu turns her "dagger glare" on me.

"Talee Wong! Do not disrespect the dead! There is much you can learn from their actions! And, it just so happens, that we will be talking about a current war today," Mistress Dee Yu looks sad, "The war with the Fire Nation." A murmur ripples through the children, all asking the same question, the question that I don't bother to whisper.

"Why do we have to talk about the war?" I ask.

"It's important. I know it hasn't affected us too much because our town has been well protected, we are near the tip of the earth kingdom, and our armies are doing everything they can to stop the Fire Nation. But the war still affects us in other ways. Haven't you noticed that your parents aren't able to buy as many things?"

"No…" I say, confused.

"Of course not you, Smelee! Your stuck-up parents are loaded!" snaps a girl from near the back of the room. I blush and sink down in my chair, scowling. "Smelee" is an old nickname that I've had since kindergarten when I accidentally stepped in some animal dung and a dumb little kid started calling me Smelee. Now everybody who doesn't like me calls me that. Mistress Dee Yu scolds the girl harshly. Then she turns back to us.

"But surly you've noticed the food shortage?" asks the Mistress. I perk up.

"I did know _that_!" I announce triumphantly, proud of my observational skills. Another girl sniggers.

"You would, you eat like a pig!" The whole class (except for Jeng) bursts into hysterical laughter. I growl. Despite what most people might think, I'm not the sort of girl to back down from a fight. As the Mistress is quieting the class, I spring to my feet and storm over to the girl and yank her hair as hard as I possibly can. I'm rewarded with a bloodcurdling shriek and am pulling back my fist for a punch when Mistress Dee Yu grabs me and sits me forcefully in my chair.

"This is important! If I hear another word out of ANY of you, YOU WILL BE SORRY!" roars the Mistress. The room grows so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Mistress Dee Yu sits down wearily in her seat.

"The Fire Nation attacked about 90 odd years ago," she begins, "They completely wiped out the Air Nomads. They have been setting up colonies in the Earth Kingdom ever since. They have tried to take out the Water tribes and the Southern Water Tribe is all but gone, but the Northern Water Tribe remains strong. They are trying to break down the wall of Ba Sing Se. They have failed numerous times. But we are still in danger; hard times are coming and they're coming swiftly. Are there any questions?" There isn't a single lowered hand.

"Talee?"

"What do they want?" I inquire.

"They want the world," says Mistress Dee Yu, "May Sung?"

"Isn't there something or someone who can stop them?" she asks.

"Now that the Avatar has disappeared, we are not sure. But our armies are doing everything they can to protect us," Mistress Dee Yu smiles sadly, she knows what she says is untrue. The class is quiet, brooding over this.

So…we're doomed?" I ask.

"Well…yes," says Mistress Dee Yu quietly. The children gasp collectively. A few start to cry, some cry out for death to the Fire Nation, some cling to their desks or each other, as if trying to cling to their shattered innocence. But I am silent, I'm not in shock, I'm turning everything over in my head.

"Why are you telling us all this?" I ask above the din of the panicked children. Everybody is immediately quiet, all eyes on the Mistress as she begins to shake.

"Because…" she says softly, "They're coming." Any child who hasn't been crying is crying now. I just sit in shock. My innocence has been shattered, I feel stupid, just this morning…Was it really just then?…I'd been so happy, the world had been perfect. Now my teacher is telling me that I'm going to die. We're all going to die.

Most of the children are wailing at this point. Mistress Dee Yu tries to quiet them, but the door is flung open. The Headmaster stands there, looking furious.

"Dee Yu! You told them?!" he bellows.

"They had a right to know!" yells the teacher. The Headmaster turns to us.

"You are dismissed!" he yells above the noise. Most children spring up and run for home right then, tripping, stumbling, but they don't care. They want to be where they feel safe. I go slowly, as if drifting. I feel heavy, yet light at the same time. Outside, the once familiar town looks foreign, the walls surrounding the town that once seemed so big and strong look ready to crumble at any moment. Everything safe looks dangerous, and feeble. Home is now a prison. The world is my death chamber, I am going to die.

It takes me a very long time to get home. When I do eventually get there, I open the door and shut it behind me softly. That's when Mom figures out something's wrong.

"Talee?" Mom comes in from the parlor, "What are you doing home so early? What's wrong?" I don't respond. Mom kneels in front of me and grabs my shoulders.

"Talee?" she searches my downcast eyes, "What happened?" My tongue feels thick in my mouth, I don't know if I can make it move but by some miracle I manage it.

"We're all going to die," I say in a voice not my own, the music is gone. Mom looks puzzled.

"What?" she inquires.

"The Fire Nation, they're coming," I say. Mom stands up quickly, looking angry.

"Who told you that?" she demands, her voice low and quavering.

"Mistress Dee Yu," I reply robotically, "When are they coming?" But Mom is already out the door, stalking off towards the school. A maid comes in and escorts me to my room. I drop my bag on my bed and sit on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest.

How will I die? Will they burn me up? Slice me open? Throw me in a dungeon to rot?

Questions tumble around in my head, like noisy kids, all fighting to be heard at once. I decide that I need guidance. I get up and walk down the hall to my big brother, Tunzin's, room. I knock on the door.

"What?" asks my brother harshly.

"It's me Tunzin," I say. The door is almost immediately open.

"Sorry, I thought you were Dad…" Tunzin must notice the look on my face because his expression changes from impish to worried, "Talee, what's wrong?" I walk into the room and Tunzin closes the door and sits down on his bed.

"Tunzin? Did you know that the Fire Nation is coming?" I ask, shaking uncontrollably, I've moved past the initial shock, now I'm teetering on the border between numbness and panic. Tunzin sighs and nods.

"How come they told _you_?!" my fear vanishes momentarily and is replaced by indignantly and anger. Tunzin smiles.

"Well, I am ten years older than you," he points out.

"When are they coming?" I ask.

"Soon," Tunzin says, "They're building a colony here." I sigh forlornly.

"They're going to kill us all first, aren't they?" I ask.

"What?!" Tunzin springs up from his bed, "No!"

"But Mistress Dee Yu said that without the Avatar, we're doomed," I say, very confused.

"Well, long term maybe, but they won't just kill us. Life won't be easy, there will be a lot of new things to get used to, but we'll manage," Tunzin smiles as he hugs me. I'm grateful to be in my brother's embrace, where I'm safe, but I sense unease about him, there is something he isn't telling me.

"Are you sure that's everything?" I stare up into my brother's eyes, narrowing my own. Tunzin nods.

"Of course," he replies a little too hastily, "Go on and play now Talee, I'm busy." I stare at my brother a moment longer; then nod slowly. I walk out of his room, looking back as he shuts the door. Then I go to my room and change back into my play dress, almost sighing when I slip the roomy dress over my head, feeling free again. I walk down the hallways of my huge house, pondering what the little girl in class said about my family being rich. I know Dad is a government official, an important one too, he's always gone, but I don't know why that's a bad thing. I turn this question over in my six year old mind until I reach the room of my little sister, Tai Lu. I stride quietly in; my two year old sister is napping, and peek into the cradle. My sister's brown curls make a sort of halo around her forehead and her little rosebud lips are puckered up, and her sweet big brown eyes are closed in peaceful sleep. I smile, stroking my sister's cheek. This always helps calm me down, watching my sister sleep. Maybe it's because she is so peaceful, there is no worry smeared across her sweet little face.

I think back to the worries I used to have, homework, my mother scolding me, and Tenzin yelling at me. They seem so silly now.

I stand up and leave Tai Lu to dream. I stroll quietly down the hall and peek hopefully into my father's study. I'm lucky; he's there. But he looks defeated, he has his head in his hands and several important looking scrolls are strewn across the desk. His shoulders are shaking. Is he…crying? I step into full view.

"Dad? Can I talk to you?" I ask. Dad looks up and smiles.

"Of course my little Bee," he gestures for me to come in. I smile at the old nickname. Dad says that I was always moving and buzzing about like a little bee. The name has stuck. My whole family calls me that and occasionally people in town will too. I clamber up onto my father's lap.

"Dad," my tone is somber, "the Fire Nation is coming, so why are we staying?" My father's smile disappears.

"Bee, how…? Oh never mind… Well, we're staying because they would just follow us," Dad explains.

"Why?" I press.

"Because the town has something they want," Dad tells me. I still feel confused.

"Dad, why can't we just leave then?" I ask.

"Um…" Dad sets me down, "That's enough. A little girl shouldn't ask so many questions. Go and play Bee." I sound about a hundred years old when I open my mouth again.

"You don't think I can handle it, but I'm stronger than you think Dad. I will need to prepare myself. Tell me," I grab my father's shirt and look up into his eyes.

"Daddy," I whisper with my musical little voice, "Tell me." Dad seems to war with himself for a moment then he sighs.

"Me. They want me Talee," he says quietly. I ponder this for a moment then turn back to my father again.

"Then why are you still here? Why don't you run?" I ask.

"Because," Dad sighs, looking again defeated, "There is nowhere to run. They will find me, after they hurt you." I nod. Then I just stand there in silence for a moment.

"Thank you for telling me. I think I need to be alone for awhile," I leave the study, my head bent, hands clasped behind my back, looking like a brooding old man.

"Strange child…" I hear my dad murmur, "I will never understand how her mind works…"

I'm sitting in my favorite tree in the garden, staring off into space; thinking. So much has happened in an afternoon. I'm still trying to absorb it all. I feel like a small sponge, that's trying to soak up an ocean. My cheeks are tears stained. I've been crying.

Crying because they are coming for my father, crying because I'm scared, crying because I feel small, and crying because I feel sheer helplessness ready to crush my small body at any moment.

"Talee?" a voice calls. I peer out between the leaves. It's my sister, who is twenty and married, Tengza.

"Yes?" I call, hanging by my knees on the tree branch so Tengza can see me. Tengza pretends to be shocked.

"'Yes'? I think that's the most polite response I've ever gotten from you," smiles Tengza. I just stare at her. Tengza sits on the stone bench beneath the tree, sighing. I pull myself back up into the tree, my back resting against the trunk.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asks Tengza.

"No," I say stubbornly. I could get a medal for being stubborn.

"Talee, come on," Tengza sighs.

"I said no!" I scream, climbing higher in the tree.

"Talee!" Tengza yells, "Don't be stubborn! Not today! Come on! We have to talk about this! It's important!" I ignore my sister, climbing higher and higher until Tengza seems just like an ant. I'm at the very top of the tree now. It sways dangerously in the wind, the branches supporting my feet tremble but I like it up here, I feel tall, and everything else looks small, and easy to overcome. I can defeat anything! I am bigger than anything! I look over to the horizon. There is a slender wisp of smoke curling up lazily over the rise. I wonder what kind of a fire can be so big that I can see the smoke from here. I almost fall out of the tree as the realization hits me.

The Fire Nation.


	2. Chapter 2

I scramble down the tree as fast as I can.

"Tengza!" I scream. I reach the lowest branches and jump down onto the ground, but crumple into a heap because I'm in such a hurry. Tengza helps me up.

"Talee, are you okay?" she asks worriedly.

"The Fire Nation," I gasp, "They're coming! I saw them!" I start hyperventilating. Tengza grabs my shoulders.

"Talee, calm down!" Tengza looks into my wild eyes. I open my mouth to scream and Tengza clamps her hand over it.

"Talee, you know how you said you're strong?" Tengza asks. I nod. My sister lets her hand fall.

"You have to be strong now. It's only going to get harder. I have to get home, my husband needs me too," Tengza smiles sadly, "I love you Talee." She gathers me into a tight embrace. I sense an air of finality around this hug. After a long moment, Tengza let's go and leaves swiftly, not letting me see her face, which surely had tears rolling down it.

So I am left alone in the garden. I don't know what to do; I am confused. I run inside as fast as my legs can carry me and collide with Mom.

"Mom! I saw the Fire Nation! I saw them!" I shriek, "What are we going to do?!" Mom kneels next to me.

"We are going to enjoy dinner and then you are going to go to bed," Mom says, her voice trembling slightly, although she smiles. This makes me suspicious.

"Are you sure we can't run? We could hide…" I begin.

"Dear child, soon there will be nowhere left to run," tears begin to roll down Mom's cheeks, "We have been running; when you were just a baby, we were living on the run. When you turned three, we thought we'd lost them, but now they've found us. It's better to stay put now." Mom begins to cry unrestrained now.

"Come on Bee," she take my hand, "Let's go have dinner."

The meal is a silent one. No one feels like eating or talking. Even baby Tai Lu is quiet. Tunzin knows what is coming, I can sense it. Although I know the Fire Nation is coming for Dad, I get the feeling there is still something I don't know.

After dinner is over, Mom escorts us upstairs, instead of the nanny. I climb into my huge bed and Mom puts Tai Lu next to me.

"So she'll feel safe," Mom explains, "Tunzin!" she calls. A moment later, he appears in the doorway.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Sleep here tonight," pleads Mom. Tunzin nods and climbs into bed with us, drawing me into his chest, as if to protect me. I do the same for Tai Lu.

Mom sits on the edge of the bed. She smiles down at us. Stroking my hair and smiling softly, there is sorrow in her eyes.

"Shing a shong Mommy!" pipes Tai Lu. I nod vigorously. Mom sighs.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said _

_I'd never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_Hold on to this my lullaby_

_Even when music's…gone_

_Gone…_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and…_

_Sound_, "

Mom sings softly in a beautiful, rich, sweet voice. Tai Lu is asleep and I'm almost there. She kisses each of us and then leaves quickly.

Tunzin gets up quietly, and as I drift off to sleep, the last sensation I feel is one of fear and stony determination from Tunzin.

I sit up, gasping. I don't know what woke me up, so I listen carefully. As my eyes adjust to the dark, I see Tunzin standing by the bedroom door, holding the sword that my dad keeps in his study.

"Tunzin!" I whisper, terrified. Tunzin's head whips around as he tenses up. He relaxes when he sees it is just me. He puts a finger to his lips.

All of a sudden, there is a loud banging and the sound of wood splintering from down the hall. I clutch the blanket. A loud crash soon ends the persistent banging and there are voices now, screaming and yelling.

"Come quietly and no harm will come to your family," shouts a deep, gruff voice that I don't recognize.

"Okay," Dad replies, "We'll come."

"Good," sneers the voice. The sound of Dad crying out in pain slices through the air. I am about to scream and rush to help him but Tunzin clamps his hand over my mouth and holds me down. I struggle helplessly, panic choking me. I have to get to my father!

" Talee, don't move," hisses Tunzin, "There's nothing we can do." I shake my head and keep struggling. Of course there's something we can do! We can do something! Anything! The sound of blows and my father's screams are too much to bear. Tears flow out of my eyes as I scream into my brother's hand.

Then I hear my mother scream and men laughing accompanied by the sound of more blows. Now Tunzin looks ready to storm out of the room and confront the men who are hurting his parents himself.

Tai Lu chooses this moment to wake up. As she blinks sleepily, the loudest screams of all come. Her baby eyes open wide.

"Mo-!" she begins to scream as Tunzin clamps his other hand over her mouth. He lets go of my mouth. The screams are more desperate now. Soon, we hear the door slam and the sound of our parents agony fading into the distance. Tunzin lets out a breath as though he's been holding it the whole time. I begin to sob uncontrollably. What just happened?! Who just took my parents?!

"Who are those men?! Where did they take Mom and Dad?!" I demand to know.

"Those were Fire Nation men, Bee," Tunzin explains as he hushes a screaming Tai Lu, "They took Mom and Dad away, back to their army base. They're gone. The rest of the Fire Nation people here are soldiers with their families. They're building a colony."

"So," I look to my brother with tear filled eyes, "Mom and Dad are gone?" Tunzin looks at me. Hope floods through me, but it is the unstable kind of hope that shouldn't be trusted.

"Yes," he says. I stare at him for moment, what? Then I scream. I start screaming and crying hysterically.

"Why?! Why?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!" I scream. Sorrow fills up my chest, as though it's trying to squeeze into my heart and force the love out. I spend the rest of the night crying. I hate the Fire Nation; I hate them with every fiber of my being. When love and sorrow are mixed together it is usually a recipe for hatred unless there is strength but I'm only six, I haven't lived enough life to have that sort of strength. So hatred fills me. And I embrace it.

It's been three weeks. Three very, very, very long weeks. We've spent that whole time cooped up in the house, not wanting to venture out unless we had to. Tunzin was adamant that we stay in the house for as long as possible. In those three weeks, I turned seven. I don't care though, I'm still too raw. We also received word that Tengza and he whole family were killed in a fire that a soldier set when Tengza's husband tried to defend her. Most of the servants deserted a few days after the Fire Nation came, some stayed but now even the most loyal ones are gone.

We got up this morning and found out that we are almost completely out of food. Tunzin decided that we should venture out to see if we could buy some food in the market.

I'm really scared but Tunzin has promised me over and over again that everything'll be okay. I grab Tai Lu's hand and we leave the house. We walk down the little pathway that leads to our door. I want to cry. Men in red uniforms are everywhere, marching, laughing, and sharpening weapons. There are children dressed in red running around as well and women trying to get them to sit still. I scan the crowd hopefully for Mom and Dad, but grief tears at my chest when I don't see them.

We reach the main road and walk to market. While Tunzin looks the produce over, I turn to survey the square. Familiar people are dressed in rags, their flesh glowing and ravaged with fresh burns. I wince when I see the man who I refer to as Apple Man, without a shirt because of the burns on his chest. The school has been transformed. The sign was ripped down and there's a new one up. No writing, just a crude picture of a naked woman. Men go in and out every now and then. I wonder what's in there.

"Hi there!" I hear a voice chirp. I turn to see a girl clad in red smiling at me.

"Hi," I smile.

"My name's Tai Lee! What's yours?" Tai Lee asks.

"I'm Talee," I say.

"Hi Talee, want to play?" Tai Lee asks. I tilt my head, examining this strange girl.

"I've never seen you before, were you in my class at school?" I ask. The girl laughs as though I just told a ridiculous joke.

"No silly! I'm from the Fire Nation!" she laughs. I am shocked for a moment. Then I feel stupid, how did I not guess? Her laughter becomes harsher and sharper and rage bubbles inside of me. Before I know I'm doing it, Tai Lee is clutching her cheek, crying. I hadn't even realized I'd punched her. But now I lunge at her.

Suddenly, I feel huge force slam into the side of my head. I cry out as I fall to the ground. My head is throbbing, my vision going double. I'm hauled to my feet. Someone has a death grip on my arm, as if they're trying to wrench it out of its socket.

"Earth Kingdom scum," spits the man who hit me, "Hitting my daughter, eh?! I'll teach you!" the man pulls back his fist for another blow. I brace myself as his fist slams into my cheek. I burst into tears on the spot and he pulls his arm back again. I close my eyes.

"Tunzin!" I scream frantically, "Tunzin!" Suddenly, I hear the man grunt and he lets go of my arm. I stumble for a moment; then regain my feet.

Tunzin is on top of the man, punching him repeatedly in the face, obviously furious. The man is trying to shove him off but he's failing.

"Don't _EVER_ touch my sister! Do you hear me?!" Tunzin grabs the man's shirt front and pulls his face close to his, "Am I clear?!" he screams. An official looking man strides up.

"Get off of him boy," says the man.

"This man hit my sister!" Tunzin leaps to his feet and gets in the officer's face. I bite my lip.

"So? Your sister is probably an ill-mannered brat like you. Go home boy," the officer says. The officer starts to leave. Suddenly, Tunzin's fist flies out and hits the officer in the jaw. The smug officer stumbles back, looking shocked. He straightens up, rubbing his jaw, fury twisting his face. Tunzin stands proud, glaring at the man. I'm about to scream for him to run when the officer grabs Tunzin by the collar and pulls out a knife, stabbing him in the chest. Tunzin stares down at the wound, as if surprised to see it. He looks dizzy. He lifts his face and his eyes meet mine. His lips form my name and he falls over, dead.

"Someone take care of that," the officer nods to Tunzin's body and leaves, still rubbing his jaw. I stand, my mouth agape.

"Tunzin!" I shriek, rushing to his side, "No! No! NO!" Someone comes and pries me away from my brother's body and Tunzin is dragged away and tossed carelessly onto a cart.

"NO!" I scream. I thrash around, trying to hurt whoever dared take me away from Tunzin. There's a sharp pain in the back of my head and my vision goes fuzzy and then I slip into thick, syrupy blackness.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Hey everybody! :D Thanks to avatard101 for reviewing!**_

_**Okay, so I know that this has been really sad so far. The next few chapters will be pretty sad, but we will soon move on to happier/more epic things. :)**_

_**Enjoy and please review! :)**_

I sit up quickly and almost scream. My head feels like it will shatter, I lie down cautiously. Then I sit straight up again, adrenaline blocking out the pain. Tai Lu! Where is she? Where am _I_?! I look around, it's dark, but my eyes adjust quickly.  
I'm in some sort of a hut or shack or something. There are people asleep all around me, lying on sacks or on the floor. I realize that it's not a floor, but dirt. I move my hand to push myself up, when it brushes against something cold. I look down and gasp. It's Tai Lu, her body spattered with bruises and striped with cuts. I pull her into my lap and she whimpers without opening her eyes. I hold my shivering sister close to my chest, trying to give some of my warmth to her.  
I notice her hair has been cut, it's really short now. My hand goes to my head and I wince as I feel dried blood. My hair has been chopped short too; it barely goes past the bottom of my head. I would normally feel really upset, but it seems stupid to fuss over something like that now. I lie down carefully, pulling Tai Lu into my chest. I close my eyes and immediately fall asleep.

"Wake up swine!" a voice shouts, piercing my dreams. I slowly open my eyes, which feel as though they are glued shut with black molasses.  
When I finally get my eyes open, I see other people scrambling quickly to their feet and rushing out of the hut.  
I sit up slowly and stand up even more slowly. I look to the Red Man standing at the door, who's wearing a scowl. Almost everyone has left the hut now, and the Red Man catches sight of me.  
"You! Get out there!" he snarls.  
"Why?" I ask, genuinely curious. The man forms a long strip of fire and hits me with it. I feel intense pain burn through the skin on my shoulder and a scream tears out of throat as I struggle to tear the burning cloth off of my shoulder.  
"Because I said so!" screams the man, "I don't have time for this! Get out there!" I glance at Tai Lu; then start to leave.  
"Bring _that_ too," he points to Tai Lu.  
"I don't think she's feeling well," I say, not entirely happy with Tai Lu being called "that."

The Red Man rolls his eyes and strides over, shoving me to the ground. My eyes open wide as he kicks my sister like a sack of flower.  
"Get up!" he snarls, kicking her again.  
"Stop! STOP!" I scream, scrambling to my feet. I leap on the man and kick him with my scrawny legs. He straightens up quickly and I tumble off, crying out as my head snaps back and hits the ground. Tai Lu is wide awake now and bawling. My vision is fuzzy; I shake my head trying to clear it. Abruptly, Tai Lu's screams stop. I sit straight up and see her lying with her head twisted at an odd angle, her eyes glazed over, mouth open, and tears still staining her face. Agony was the last thing she felt.  
"NO!" I scream. I hear the Red Man swearing profusely, something about wasting healthy merchandise. I lunge at the man, elbowing him as hard as I can in the spine. The man yells and whirls around, his hand connecting with my head. I don't fall over this time, thankfully, but it still makes my ears ring. I start to cry.  
"I've wasted enough time here already! Come on!" Red Man grips my arm and drags me outside. I blink at the sudden light. When my eyes adjust I see people everywhere bent over, working.  
Some haul rocks, some use earth bending to build or clear things, and some are planting crops. Red Man drags me over to a table with scrawny looking Fire Nation man behind it.  
"Can you bend?" asks the old man.  
"N-no," I whimper, still in shock, "My sister-"  
"Alrighty then," the man cuts me off, jotting something down on a scroll.  
"This one's a trouble maker, sir," Red Man says.  
"Oh is he now?" the man cackles. That ticks me off.  
"I'm a girl," I snarl.  
"Whatever," the man waves his hand dismissively, "Well then, I suppose (she) would do best hauling rocks for the new buildings. Take her over there." Red Man shoves me in the back, almost making me fall over.  
"Hey!" I exclaim.  
"Move along!" snaps the man. I comply. He shoves me near a large boulder and hands me a pickaxe that I can barely lift. I look at him quizzically.  
"Break it up," Red Man rolls his eyes and walks away to survey another group of workers. I look from the pickaxe to the boulder.  
"You!" a different red man shouts, "Get to work!"  
I raise the pickaxe, almost falling over backwards and bring it down on the edge of the boulder. It grazes down the side, barely making a visible scratch. I want to scream in frustration but silently lift the pickaxe again, wincing with effort and slam it into the rock again. This time, I hit it at a good point, but, again, it barely makes a dent. I lift the tool and hit the same spot again, the crevice deepening slightly. I hit it again, and again, and again, and again. The repetitive work lets my mind drift. Drift to Tunzin, Tai Lu, and my parents. I try to push those thoughts away, I try to pretend that the boulder is Fire Lord Ozi's head, but tears flow out of my eyes anyways. I keep hearing my father say "We'll come." I keep hearing the desperate shriek of my mother. I keep hearing the sickening sound of the dagger sliding into Tunzin's flesh, and seeing his lips form my name just before he drops dead. I keep hearing Tai Lu's desperate cries for help, the help that I was too late to give.  
All of these thoughts swirl around inside my head as the pickaxe becomes heavier and heavier and the sun hotter and hotter.  
I'm so thirsty; it feels like every breath I take is studded with thorns as it scratches up my throat. Blisters are forming on my hands, some have even popped, oozing all over the handle of the pickaxe, making it slippery and hard to hold, consequently forming more blisters. I see and overseer walking by, checking on everyone's progress.  
"Sir, may I please have some water?" I ask. The man laughs and keeps walking. I try not to scream profanities at him as he takes a long drink from a water skin that hangs at his side, looking pointedly at me. I just focus on the ever blurring boulder.  
_"I can't faint. Not again, not now…"_ I tell myself as I swing the pickaxe over and over again.  
"Talee?" I hear a voice whisper. I turn my head to see Jeng, dressed in rags, her hair chopped short as well; swinging a pickaxe herself. Surprise courses through me.  
"Jeng!" I exclaim quietly, joy making my chest ache.  
"Sh," she turns her head back to her boulder, keeping her voice low, "Don't acknowledge me."  
I turn back to my own boulder. Adrenaline has temporarily overcome my dehydration.  
"Why are all these people here?" I ask.  
"Look around," she says. I inconspicuously comply, still swinging my pickaxe, and I notice that everyone here is a child.  
"Orphans?" I pant.  
"Yes," says Jeng quietly.  
"I'm so sorry, Jeng," I say, although it sounds hollow. I remember Tai Lu, "Why are they making two year olds work?"  
"They're not, they just keep them in the hut or slap them around. I don't know why," Jeng says.  
"Sadistic creeps," I shudder.  
"Huh?" Jeng asks.  
"Oh, nothing. It's one of those words I learned from Tunzin that I'm not really supposed to know," I grin. I remember the day I learned that one. Mom was so mad, she yelled at Tunzin for twenty minutes straight. The grin slowly fades from my face as grief moves back in.  
"How is Tunzin?" asks Jeng.  
"Dead," I reply bluntly, not wanting to go into detail; wincing as more blisters break open.  
"Oh…" Jeng says.  
"Yeah…" I nod, for once thankful for someone's lack of words. We fall into silence. A few weeks ago, you couldn't have gotten us to shut up, but now it's as if the life has been sucked out of us. I feel hollow.  
I steal a glance at Jeng. Her eyes are empty, as are her dirty cheeks and her rags hang limply on her bony frame. It's amazing how much a person can change in three weeks.  
I go back to swinging my pickaxe. All of a sudden, a commotion breaks out. I turn to see, lowering my pickaxe.  
A little boy fainted. An overseer is hauling him up and slapping his face. He won't wake up. The overseer growls and shoves him to another man and instructs him to get fluids into him and to keep him in the shade until he wakes up. Then the overseer turns to us.  
"Alright you scrawny leeches, come get a drink!" he shouts. Everybody sighs with relief as they drop their various tools and line up for water.  
"Why do we get water _now_?" I whisper to Jeng, who stands behind me in line.  
"Someone fainted, now we get it," she says. My legs begin to quake, whether from fatigue, dehydration, grief, or fear I'm not sure, all I know is that when that sweet water trickled down my throat, I was determined to get away from this place. I decided to run away.


	4. Chapter 4

I stare at the ceiling as I wait for the breathing of everyone around me to even out so I can leave. Tai Lu's body was gone when I came back to the hut. I didn't know whether to be glad or to cry. She was so young and sweet… I push the thought of her from my mind. I can't think about her right now. I focus on a hole between the planks in the ceiling; a star winks at me in the sky, as if telling me to go to sleep. It's so hard not to close my eyes for just a second and rest but I know that I won't be able to wake up again and I'll have to wait another whole day. So I force my eyes to stay open. After a few more minutes, everybody is breathing steadily. Now's my chance.

I sit up slowly; quietly, my sore muscles screaming in pain. I sit still for a moment, tense, listening to see if anyone stirs. No one does. Not relaxing at all, I stand up as slowly as I can bear. When I'm finally on my feet, I don't dare wait. I'm grateful for the holes in the ceiling and the walls that allow moonlight to trickle in and puddle on the floor. I step softly over an arm here, a leg there, and other various body parts until I'm at the door. I lift the latch silently and push it open just a crack and peek out. I hear the sound of men laughing, but it sounds somewhat…unnatural. I can see them about thirty yards off with bottles all over the place. Some are empty, some are yet to be opened, but most are being used. Maybe that's what's making them act so weird. I open the door as far as I dare, slip out; then shut it again. I press my back against the hut, hoping the shadow will hide me.  
Luckily, no one is guarding the hut. Probably because they are too busy drinking… whatever the heck that stuff is. Perhaps it's some sort of Fire Water or something…  
I slip around the side of the hut and run as fast as I can straight into the forest without looking back.

I open my eyes and sigh. I've been wandering in the woods for about four days now and I've realized that escaping is a good thing, but escaping without food is not. I managed to find some nuts the first and second days and I've been following a stream so I have a constant source of water. I haven't been able to eat in two days though because I've found nothing edible. I have about twelve days left before I die of starvation. Tunzin told me once that as long as you have water, you can go about two weeks without food, but the sharp pains in my stomach are causing me to seriously question that statement. I push myself to my feet, ignoring the pain in my hands. Some of the blisters have gone away, some haven't, and there are some scabs forming but I've washed them in the stream so hopefully they won't get infected. I look around. I think I've managed to cover some really good ground in four days. I'm really deep into the forest now; I've walked from the moment I wake up in the morning until I collapse well into the night. My legs feel like jelly and my head is throbbing but I want to put as much distance between me and the Fire Nation colony as possible. I've also noticed that I've been going slightly downhill since yesterday. I must be in some sort of valley or something.  
I sigh and start walking, observing my surroundings; keeping a sharp eye out for food. The stream gurgles, my constant companion. I look up to see if I can see the tops of the trees. I can't really. They're HUGE here! The trunks are enormous and the branches are big enough for someone to stand on easily. I walk for about an hour or two, when I push through some bushes and come to a small clearing. In that clearing there are berry bushes. I rush over to inspect them. The branches have strange little hook shaped thorns and the berries are blackish-purple. I don't care what they are though, I'll eat anything at this point, poisonous or not. It beats starving. Unless it's the kind of poison that makes your tongue dissolve, hair fall out, and skin peel off. I shudder. Maybe I shouldn't… Oh what the heck?

I start tearing berries off the bush and making a little pile next to it. I want to at least eat a handful all at once instead of eating one and dying or something. I finish collecting the berries and try to step away from the bush when I notice that my skirt is stuck fast to the strange thorns. I bend down to try and pull it loose and the top of my dress gets caught on the thorns too. I try to pull away but the thorns refuse to budge and the branches are ridiculously strong. So now I'm bent over, stuck on a bush like an old leaf. I scream in frustration as I struggle harder.

"STUPID BUSH!" I yell, "PUTRID, INSOLENT, IDIOTIC-!"

"You having some trouble?" a voice laughs. I whip my head around and see a boy who looks to be about ten, with brown hair that is unruly and falls in his face. He wears a sly grin and has a weed or something in his mouth. He has two hook things at his side and has regular clothes with some light armor on top. I don't know who this boy is, but I don't like him. He laughed at me.

"Just fine, thank you," I snarl. To my extreme annoyance, the boy just laughs and strolls over to me. He grasps my shoulders and gives one hard yank and I'm free. I straighten up quickly, glaring at him.

"You sure about that?" chuckles the boy.

"Whatever," I mumble, stooping to pick up the berries.

"Unless you want to die, I wouldn't eat those," says the boy.

"Do you have a _better_ option?" I snap.

"Actually, yes I do. How does a roast raccoon turkey sound?" he asks, "Pipsqueak managed to catch one and everyone's waiting for me back at the camp, I just came to get some water." The boy points to a bucket that he left on the ground. I eye him suspiciously.

"Who's Pipsqueak?" I ask.

"Oh, he's one of my Freedom Fighters," says the boy, "The Freedom Fighters fight against the Fire Nation in whatever ways we can. I'm their leader, Jet. Where are you coming from?"

"You 'fight against the Fire Nation in whatever ways you can?'" I ask, raising an eyebrow, "That was sooo eloquent and detailed. I'm not telling you where I'm coming from!"

"I don't want to hurt you. And all of the Freedom Fighters are orphans. We hate the Fire Nation. They've destroyed our lives and we are determined to get revenge," Jet tells me with a grave expression.

"So? Who says I'm an orphan? Maybe I'm Fire Nation myself," I cross my arms. Jet rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, that's why you're wearing a nearly destroyed Earth Kingdom dress and eating poisonous berries," he quips.

"I haven't eaten them yet," I snap.

"Sorry. Look, all I want to know is where you're coming from," Jet says, looking genuinely concerned.

"Um, my town was occupied by the Fire Nation. They killed my family and made me be a slave. I ran away a few days ago," I say; then I feel surprised. I just told this boy everything without hesitating! What's wrong with me? I hate him!

"I'm so sorry," Jet places a hand on my shoulder. I slap it away and jump back.

"Don't touch me!" I scream. I'm extremely wary of anybody touching me now, especially a boy. The thought of it makes me cringe.

"Sorry," Jet seems genuinely repentant, "But hey, you sound like you'd make a good Freedom Fighter, would you like to join us?"

I consider this a moment. I don't have anywhere to go. They have food, clothes, and they fight the Fire Nation. I can always leave if I want. That's sort of a no brainer.

"Sure," I say, "But don't touch me."

"Of course," Jet smiles, "Come on; let's go." He grabs the bucket and fills it up in the stream them trots back to me.

"Ready?" he asks. I nod. We push through the bushes and out of the clearing. There's a bunch of underbrush out here, it looks like a maze to me, but Jet weaves through the various shrubs with confidence. We walk in awkward silence for a minute or two. I clear my throat.

"So… Where do all of these Freedom Fighters come from?" I ask suspiciously.

"They all have a past with the Fire Nation," Jet says, looking back without breaking stride.

"What's your past?" I ask. Jet stops abruptly and I almost bump into him. His eyes are downcast and he seems to have lost his smooth charm.

"The Fire Nation killed my parents two years ago. They burned my village down," he says. He stands there for a minute and then shakes his head like he's trying to clear it.

"Come on, it's not far now," he says. I'm not really sure what to think of this weird boy. He seems a bit…unstable.  
Jet pushes aside a bush and we come to a her large clearing ringed with trees and shrubs. There are some shabby little tents dotted about the clearing as well as about five kids standing around a fire pit, laughing and talking. One of them, a very large, well-muscled boy, is skinning a raccoon turkey. The conversation stops abruptly when they see us. I have the sudden urge to hide behind Jet like a two year old.

"Freedom Fighters, this is a new recruit! I found her bravely battling a bush!" Jet smirks. The kids laugh. I scowl. "But she's told me that the Fire Nation forced her into slavery and she was brave enough to escape! This is exactly the kind of Freedom Fighter we need!"

Jet yells, as though he was speaking to fifty kids instead of five. But the five shout their agreement anyways.

"Now only one question remains," Jet says turning to me, "What will your name be?"

"Huh? I already have a name, it's-" I begin.

"No!" Jet cuts me off, "That was your old name. You need a new name. A fresh start. The Freedom Fighters only share their old names with their closest friends. So, what'll it be? You get to pick."

I ponder this. Two names come to mind: Bee, and Smelee. My two nicknames, one sweet, and one bitter. All of my memories are bitter sweet now. I want a name that will remind me of that.

"Smellerbee," I decide. Jet nods his approval and the kids murmur in agreement.

"Welcome Smellerbee!" Jet yells.

"Welcome Smellerbee!" yell the five kids.

"Let's eat!" Jet says and everybody laughs. I smile.  
Jet strides confidently over to the group. Even though these kids have seemed to welcome me, I stick close to Jet. Jet pours the water he got from the stream in a big pot and then starts to help the large boy clean the raccoon turkey. While he cleans, Jet points to the people in the group, introducing them.

"That's Sneers," Jet points to a thick set boy with black hair. He must be around twelve or so.

"That's Shadow," Jet nods to a tall girl who looks to be about nine. She smiles at me, her grey eyes warm.

"That's Bluejay," Jet points to a girl who looks about the same age as Jet. She has black hair and startling blue eyes. She wears a bored expression and she nods at me, her eyes vacant. I immediately don't like her.

"That's Howler," Jet points to a boy who looks like he's around Jet's age as well, maybe older. He has brown hair that is cut very short and cold green eyes. He smirks and nods at me.

"And this," Jet jerks his head towards the large boy next to him, "is Pipsqueak. He's the oldest of the Freedom Fighters. He's fourteen." Pipsqueak smiles at me.

"Glad to have you, Smellerbee," he says in an extremely deep voice.

"Thanks," I say, wary of this large boy. Jet and Pipsqueak have finished cleaning the meat and they put it on a spit over the fire. No one speaks. We just stand there really awkwardly.

"Jet? Can Smellerbee stay in my tent?" Shadow asks.

"Sure, that's a good idea," Jet smiles, seeming relieved that someone finally broke the silence. Shadow grins at me.

"Come on Smellerbee," she tilts her head towards one of the tents, "I'll show it to you."

"Thanks," I say, gratefully following her to the tent and away from prying eyes. Shadow strolls up to one of the tents and pushes back the flap and we slip inside. I gasp.

There's a bunch of furs on the ground that are meant for a carpet of some sort. There are a couple of blankets lying wrinkled on the floor as well; I'm guessing it's her bed. There's also a tree stump near the corner with various weapons leaned up against it and a couple daggers and knives on top of it.

"This is amazing!" I gasp again. Shadow grins.

"Well, not every tent is like this," she says, "But I won a bet with Pipsqueak so I get the furs from all the animals he catches for three months. Thus, the carpet." I nod.

"What was the bet?" I ask, intrigued. Shadow grins evilly.

"To see who could hit Sneers most accurately with the most nuts from a tree branch," she sniggers, "I got him ten times in the head and Pipsqueak only glanced nuts off of his shoulders, like, three times."

"And Sneers sat still for that?" I ask. Shadow laughs.

"Actually, he was asleep in the clearing and he sleeps like a log," she smiles. Then she gestures to the tree stump.

"So, which one do you want?" she asks. I look at her, confused.

"Well, if you're going to fight, you need a weapon," Shadow rolls her eyes. My eyes widen.

"Whichever one I want?" I ask. Shadow nods. I walk over to the stump. There are two swords leaned up against it along with an axe. There are three daggers and a knife on the tree stump. I let my eyes float over the daggers. Suddenly, I hear Tunzin cry out as the dagger is shoved into his chest. I see his lips fashion my name. And I see him fall over dead. I don't think twice. I pick a dagger with a long blade.

"Good choice," Shadow nods her approval, "Here."

She hands me a leather belt with a sheath, a pair of boots, some pants and a shirt. I look at her quizzically.

"Pants? Really?" I ask.

"Yup," she grins.

"Awesome!" I squeal. My mother _never_ let me wear pants. I grab the cloths and Shadow slips outside, saying she'd meet me back at the fire put. Once she's gone, I tear off my tattered, old dress and pull on the brown pants. They're a little long so I roll up the bottoms of them twice. Then I pull on the green shirt and the belt. Once I've done that, I slip my dagger into the sheath and then strap the sheath to the belt. Then I pull the boots on over my pants. Luckily for me, they fit perfectly. Once I'm dressed, I head outside again.

Jet is turning the spit and everyone is laughing at something he said. They all stop and stare at me when I come out of the tent though. Sneers' eyes wander to the dagger that I've sheathed at my side. He smirks.

"You think you can handle that dagger Shorty?" he asks.

"Do you think you could be more of an idiot?" I ask sweetly. Sneers scowls at me while Shadow and Pipsqueak laugh. Jet stands up. He's smiling but looks at me.

"Sneers has a point," he says, "You're going to have to learn how to use that."

"Yeah," Sneers smirks. He holds up a leechi nut, "Wanna try hitting this?"

"Only if it's on your head," I shoot back, glaring. Everybody's howling with laughter now. I'm guessing Sneers is not the favorite in the group. Sneers' face turns beet red and he stalks up to me and grabs my shirt collar, hauling me up close to his face. I tense up. He's touching me.

"You'd better watch your mouth Shorty," he hisses, "I'm Jet's right hand man, so you'd better be careful."

I smirk at him. "You want to know one of the advantages of being short?"

"What?" he snarls.

"My legs are short enough to do _this_!" I kick him hard right between the legs.

Sneers drops me on the ground, screaming like a little girl. Shadow is clutching her stomach because she's laughing so hard, Pipsqueak is wiping tears away from his eyes, laughing like a maniac, and Howler doesn't seem to know whether to be amused or feel very bad for Sneers. Jet is laughing too, not caring that Sneers is glaring at him. Even Bluejay is laughing.

"I…will… KILL YOU!" gasps Sneers, his voice extremely high pitched.

"Whatever you say," I roll my eyes, stepping around him to join the other Freedom Fighters around the fire pit. I sit on a log next to Shadow and cross my arms, scowling. I'm suddenly feeling bad for kicking Sneers, even if he was touching me. Evidently, Shadow can tell.

"Oh come on," she nudges me, still giggling; "Nobody really likes Sneers. He's such a jerk."

"Even so," I say, "I feel stupid for doing that."

"Please!" Shadow rolls her eyes, "That was hilarious! Everybody does stuff like that to Sneers!" I feel slightly bad for Sneers but decide not to say anything. I will not show any sort of pity towards him. Not yet anyways.

"The meat's done!" Jet announces and everybody rushes to get some of it. At that moment, I remember just how hungry I am. I hang back. Once everybody has torn off a chunk for themselves, I saunter over and grab the rest and sit back down.

Howler and Bluejay stare at me like I'm crazy. Pipsqueak looks disappointed, as does Sneers. Shadow and Jet look amused.

"You want to share?" Sneers snarls. I look at him, then at the meat in his hands.

"No, you have some," I say, nodding towards his food.

"Guys, she hasn't eaten for two days," Jet tells them. Bluejay and Howler nod, immediately focusing on their own food again. Pipsqueak still looks crestfallen but resumes his eating without complaint. Sneers just glares at me. I stare back at him, tearing little bits of meat off and putting them exaggeratedly into my mouth.

It's everything I can do not to break the stare and just shove the whole thing down my throat but I know that it'll all come back up again so I stare at Sneers, which is forcing me to eat slowly.

Eventually, I finish, still staring at Sneers. Since he's been staring at me the whole time, he hasn't eaten any of his meat. Pipsqueak eyes it hungrily. He really didn't have enough, but I get the feeling that he didn't take as much as he needed so he wouldn't seem rude. I keep up the stare at Sneers; then an idea comes to me. If I can get Sneers to chase me, Pipsqueak can have the meat. I'll climb a tree and Sneers will be too distracted to notice.

"If you want Sneers," I hold up my bones, "You can have these."

"That's it!" Sneers leaps up, throwing his meat onto the log. I leap to my feet to run. I wink at Pipsqueak just before Sneers bowls into me.

"You little brat!" he shouts, "I'll show you! You're not so tough!" He raises his fist. I freak out. I scream and scratch at him and kick him as hard as I can with him pinning me down. Suddenly, he's hauled off of me. I waste no time. I leap to my feet and race to a tree a few yards away and climb it as fast as I can.

Once I'm high enough that he can't reach me, I look down. I see that it's Jet who hauled Sneers off of me. He's yelling at him.

"Listen up!" Jet addresses everybody, "No one is to touch Smellerbee! That was one of her conditions for joining. Understood?" Everybody nods, even Sneers. Jet looks up at me.

"Smellerbee! Come on!" he shouts, "It's okay!"

"No!" I yell.

"Smellerbee!" Jet's tone is warning, "Do I have to come up there?!" I laugh at him.

"Since when did you become my father?!" I tease. He rolls his eyes.

"You asked for it!" he pulls out his hooks and flips them over, there's pointed ends on the other side, and jabs them into the trunk and starts to climb. I laugh again and climb higher myself. Jet is making up ground fast, but I'm faster. Plus, this is a big tree, which means I can hide on one of the branches while Jet climbs past me. I wait until I hear the sound of his grunting fade. Then I walk back to the trunk and sit with my back leaned up against it.

I'm still mad at Sneers. I might not come down at all. Maybe I'll just stay up here forever.  
The truth is, when he did that, I seriously flipped out. I hold up my arm and see that I'm trembling. Now that Jet is gone, I guess I've had time to calm down and react a bit.

I take a few deep breaths and after a minute or two, my trembling stops. I start climbing down the tree. After a few minutes of climbing I drop off the lowest branch. I grunt slightly when I hit the ground. Shadow stands up and strides quickly over to me.

"Smellerbee! What were you thinking?!" her demeanor is suddenly that of a scolding older sister.

"Wha-what do you mean?" I stutter, surprised.

"Look, you really need to listen to Jet," she hisses.

"Why?" I cross my arms, "He's not my father."

I feel a pang when I bring up that word but it's quickly lost in the heat of the argument. "Why should I listen to him?" Shadow looks concerned, sympathetic, and fearful all at the same time.

"Just listen. Okay?" she arches her eyebrow.

"Whatever," I shove her out of the way and stomp back to the campfire.

About five minutes later, Jet drops out of the tree too. He is red as a over ripe strawberry. Evidently, he didn't like being tricked.

"Smellerbee," he growls, walking up to me, "A word in my tent please." Shadow tenses up and hunches over. Bluejay sucks her cheeks in and Howler suddenly seems fascinated with the stick he is whittling. Even Sneers seems a bit apprehensive. Only Pipsqueak looks as confused as I am. Why is everyone acting so weird?

I scowl and rise to my feet. I walk ahead of Jet to his tent. I duck inside the enormous tent and Jet follows me, tying the leather straps that hold the flaps together.

I cross my arms and set my legs apart. I don't like the looks of this. Suddenly, I remember the dagger at my side. I don't know to use it but that doesn't mean it isn't sharp.

"Smellerbee…" Jet turns from tying the flaps and sits down on a mountain of furs that I assume is his bed, "There are certain rules you have to follow as a Freedom Fighter. One of those rules is that you have to listen to me. Always. The second rule is that we have to watch each other's backs. The third is you can't betray us to the Fire Nation. That's it. Easy enough?"

I'm not sure I like the sound of the first rule, but I nod slowly anyways.

"Good," Jet stands up. He walks right up to me, invading my closely guarded personal space. I try to take step backwards but he grabs my collar and hauls me up close to his face.

"Look, you're new, so I'm gonna let this little incident slide, but next time…there will be consequences," Jet hisses into my face, "We can't have any weak links."

Jet drops me and I crumple on the ground, feeling paralyzed. Jet unties the strips and stalks out.

I take a deep, shaky breath and get up. I walk outside and sit down next to Shadow again. She looks amazed.

"But…you're okay," she seems confused.

"Yeah…" I say slowly. Shadow eyes Jet, who has his back turned at the moment. She leans forward and I do the same.

"He let you off easy. He usually…corrects us much more harshly. Except for Pipsqueak, he could beat Jet to a pulp. Lucky for Jet, he's well behaved," Shadow whispers, "Pipsqueak has no clue what he does to the rest of us."

"What does he do?" I whisper fearfully back. Shadow sits up again.

"Let's hope you never have to find out," she says, causally going back to sharpening a knife.

I start to tremble, my breathing quickening.

What have I gotten myself into?


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hey everybody! :D Thanks for reading up to this point! **____** I know that it's been really depressing so far, but I promise you that IT WILL GET BETTER! As a matter of fact, I'm aiming to make this the last really-super-depressing chapter. After this, I really want to get more into the day to day life of the Freedom Fighters, and, of course, I want to bring in Longshot! **____** I'm not sure if I'm going to ship Bee and Longshot yet, but if you have any particular preference, please let me know. **_____

_**One last thing: This chapter is purely for the purposes of demonstrating Jet's instability. I will be bringing in some random character and they will exit quickly. Jet gets violent, but there is no death. **_

_**Okay, now you can read. **___

"Okay, so, when you have a dagger, you're going to either have to get close to your target or learn to throw it really well."

I've been a Freedom Fighter for a few weeks now and (luckily) I haven't had any more run-ins with Jet.

Sneers is a different story. But let's just say sometimes I won, and sometimes he won. I hate him more than ever now. Not like, I-want-to-kill-you type hate, more of a you-are-seriously-getting-on-my-nerves type hate.

Anyways, Jet and Shadow decided that I needed some training, so Shadow took me out to a little clearing and she's teaching me how to use my prized dagger.

Shadow brought a bundle of furs and some rope. She ties the rope to the bundle and the hangs it from a tree branch.

"Okay," she says, surveying her handiwork. "Attack that."

"Um, okay," I say, a little bit unsure of what she wants me to do exactly. I step up to the bundle, which is about eye level with me and raise my dagger.

"Stop!" Shadow barks. "Do you really think a Fire Nation soldier is just going to let you waltz up to him like that? Run! Timing is everything on the battlefield."

I nod and step back again. This time, I charge at the bundle, stabbing it with my dagger when I reach it. Well, at least I _tried_ to stab it with my dagger. It swung away from me, my dagger didn't even go in although it's razor sharp.

I look at Shadow quizzically.

"Well, since this is attached to a rope, you're going to have to aim the dagger down when you stab so that it won't swing away but with a real person it doesn't necessarily mater," she tells me. "Try again."

I nod, stepping back, and running again. This time, I aim down like Shadow told me to. I hear a tearing sound as I shove my dagger in up to the hilt.

Shadow nods her approval. I grin.

We work on my dagger skills for most of the afternoon and by the time we go back to the camp for dinner, I have stabbing pretty much down. Shadow says that we'll work on slashing tomorrow.

We stroll into the clearing and see Howler and Sneers circling each other, fists in front of their faces. Howler has a bloody nose and a bloody lip and… well, his face is just bloody. We'll go with that.

Sneers has a black eye and a cut lip but other than that…nothing.

I realize that they're fighting. I look around frantically for Jet and see him watching along with everyone else, looking thoughtful and very calm.

"Jet!" I shriek rushing over to him, grasping his arm. "Why aren't you stopping this?!"

"This is their problem, Smellerbee. They're working it out," Jet calmly unhooks my fingers from his arm.

"But Howler…!" I begin.

"Threw the first, yet very well deserved, punch," Bluejay cuts in. I glare at her and notice that she has a black eye as well.

"What happened to you?" I ask.

"Sneers hit me and Howler hit Sneers," she replies bluntly.

"Why did he hit you?" I ask.

"Because I insulted him," she said. I eye Sneers with distaste. What a jerk.

Suddenly, Howler darts in and knees Sneers hard in the ribcage. Sneers doubles over and wheezes as the breath is knocked out of him and Howler grabs his back and keeps kneeing him in the stomach and eventually knocks him over, pinning his arms down with his knees and start punching him in the face.

"Don't…ever…touch…my…sister!" he screams in between punches. What?! Howler and Bluejay are siblings?!

Suddenly, a memory springs to mind. Tunzin yelling those exact words at a Fire Nation man before he was killed. I feel dizzy. I clutch my head and groan.

Vaguely, I hear Jet telling the boys that Howler won and to break it up. I stumble away from the group, trying to take deep breaths and fill my shrinking lungs.

"Smellerbee?" I stare vacantly at Shadow, who looks worried. "Smellerbee, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" I say dumbly.

"You don't look so good," she says. I shake my head.

"I'm fine. I just need a minute alone please," I gasp.

"Okay…" Shadow says warily.

I stumble blindly into the woods. Soon, I trip and sprawl on my face. I pull myself into a sitting position and drag myself to a tree trunk and hug my knees to my chest, sitting in between two tree roots.

I realize that since I ran away, I haven't had time to grieve properly for my family. The animal need to survive is gone. I'm safe now.

I can cry.

I let my memories wash over me. They come in quick flashes: Tunzin laughing, my mother singing to me, Tai Lu handing me a flower that she picked, my father bouncing me on his lap, Tengza doing my hair, and all of us laughing around the dinner table. The memories hit my tiny body like bricks and I sob. Each sob seems like it's choking me. I feel overwhelmed and it's hard to breath. I shove my legs out in front of me in an attempt to get rid of the claustrophobic feeling and I scream just to get rid of some of the weight that presses down on me. I beat the tree roots with my fist and kick my legs.

I must look like a two year old having a temper tantrum but I don't care.

After what seems like forever, I hear someone crashing through the foliage. I try to stop my full blown fit but I'm still sobbing when Sneers emerges. I glare at him through my tears, waiting for him to make a snide remark about me being a baby. He loves to remind me that I'm the youngest of the group.

To my absolute shock, he sits down on the tree root I'm next to and looks sympathetic.

"Grieving?" he asks. I nod, slightly annoyed with the casual tone that he's using, my sobs dissipating into sniffles.

"Yeah, I thought so," he sighs, looking down at his hands. When he looks up again, his eyes are filled with tears. I am shocked. He doesn't look like a chubby bully; he looks like a scared, little ten year old boy.

"I lost my family too," he says, his voice thick and strained. "The Fire Nation burned down my village. I-I ran as fast as I could, my little brother was screaming for help, but I was so afraid…"

He trails off, his eyes widening, as if seeing it all again. He starts to cry.

I feel moved. He left his little brother in the flames screaming for help. I can't imagine doing that to Tai Lu. But I won't judge. I have seen the Fire Nation do some terrible things and I would've been scared too.

Maybe that's why Sneers is so mean. He just feels guilty.

"Sneers," I say quietly. He looks up at me, still crying.

"It's not your fault," I tell him. He stands up quickly, looking like his old self again, glaring at me.

"What do you know about it?!" he snarls. "Of course it's my fault!"

"Fine, it's your fault," I roll my eyes. Sneers looks a bit taken aback. "But what happened, happened. Nothing can change it. You don't know what could have happened but it whatever could have happened…didn't. So quit feeling sorry for yourself. I'm sure your brother would forgive you." Sneers is thoughtful for a moment.

"You think so?" he asks quietly. I nod.

"Quit being mean to everyone too," I throw in. He smiles. It's a little smile, but a real one.

"Thanks Smellerbee," he says. He holds out his hand. "Friends?"

"Friends," I confirm, shaking his hand.

After we let our hands drop, we just stare at each other in awkward silence.

"I'm gonna go back to camp," Sneers says quickly. I nod.

"Good idea." He strides off, still only about as stealthy as a Komodo-rhino.

After I'm sure he's gone, I sit down again. I've passed out of the screaming phase and into the reflective stage.

I just sit in silence for awhile, thinking of my family.

I know they loved me. I know they wouldn't want me to carry on ignoring them, but they wouldn't want me to obsess over it either.

I notice the sun starting to set and I sigh. Standing to my feet, I brush off the dead leaves that attached themselves to my clothes and I decide that I will always carry the memory of my family with me.

That way, I'll always remember what I'm fighting for when I rip out Fire Soldiers' hearts.

"Pipsqueak, do you understand the meaning of the word 'stealthy'?" I complain as our hunting patrol _tries_ to move quietly through the woods.

"I can't help it Smellerbee! It's not my fault my feet are huge!" Pipsqueak whines.

"You'd better start helping it if you want to eat tonight!" I snap. Pipsqueak immediately puts forth more of an effort to be quiet. I grin, shaking my head.

Jet suddenly halts, putting a finger to his lips. I stop and crouch down, but Pipsqueak is so caught up in trying to watch his feet that he crashes into me, causing me to fall and consequently push Jet over.

Now Jet and I are crushed under the monstrous Pipsqueak.

"Sorry!" Pipsqueak squeaks as he gets up hurriedly.

"Pipsqueak!" I exclaim, jumping to my feet. I would really like to punch him, but apologizes so profusely, that I settle for grumbling for him to watch where he's going.

Jet stands up and brushes himself off with a bit more dignity. He grins at Pipsqueak.

"Well, there goes our dinner," he says, laughing.

"Great… Way to go Pip!" I punch him in the arm. Pipsqueak sighs.

"I'm not really cut out for hunting. I do much better setting traps. I think I'll just go back to the camp," he sighs.

"Good idea," I nod. Jet just shakes his head, still grinning and turns back to the direction he'd been watching the game.

Once the noise of Pipsqueak crashing through the foliage fades, I turn to Jet.

"So what was it? Raccoon turkey? Rabbit squirrel? Hog monkey?" I ask.

"A girl," says Jet, not turning back to look at me.

"What?!" I gasp. I immediately crouch down next to Jet. The bush we're hiding behind gives us great cover, but said girl is gone, apparently scared by the commotion we made.

"Great, we lost her," I grumble.

"Shh!" Jet puts a hand over my mouth. I resist the urge to spit saliva all over his hand and nod slightly. He lets go of my mouth and we sit in silence for about five minutes.

Then, a girl creeps warily out from the bushes. She peeks about her, like a scared rabbit.

Deciding she's safe, she stoops to pick up something from the ground, a necklace. As she slips it over her neck, Jet stands up. I quickly do the same. The girl shrieks and starts to turn to run, when Jet lifts his hands.

"We don't want to hurt you," he says, "We just want to talk."

The girl peers at us cautiously from behind her matted black hair.

"I don't think you do," she says.

"Actually yes, we do," Jet takes a step towards her.

"No," says the girl. "I'm not the kind of person you want hanging around."

She tries to leave. Jet nods to me and I rush at her slamming her into a tree trunk and pressing my dagger against her throat.

"I would stay still if I were you," I growl. She rolls her eyes.

"Fine," she puts her hands up. "What do you want to know?"

"What are you doing here?" Jet asks.

"I'm an orphan," she replies simply.

"Who were your parents?" Jet interrogates.

"An earth kingdom woman," she replies.

"And?" Jet says. The girl sighs.

"My mom was…" she pauses, searching for the right words, "taken advantage of. A Fire Nation soldier who was passing through our town with his battalion was with a few friends and my mom worked in a tavern. You can guess the rest." Jet immediately looks sympathetic. I am not so easily swayed.

"You said you were an orphan," I shove the blade against her throat harder.

"I am. My mom killed the soldier a few days later. She hid in the trees and shot him with an arrow when his battalion wasn't looking. She raised me in a village that _used_ to be south of here. She was killed when the Fire Nation burned it down," the girl smirks.

"And why wouldn't we want you around?" I ask. The girl pauses.

"I'm a fire bender," she says. Jet looks conflicted now.

"And where do your loyalties lie?" I ask.

"With the best option," she sneers.

"We should just let her go Jet," I say, pressing the point of my dagger into the soft skin of her neck, drawing a small bead of red blood. "These ones are trouble."

The girl's startling green eyes look smug.

"No," Jet shakes his head. "Tie her up."

"Jet, this is a bad idea…" I begin.

"Tie her up Smellerbee!" screams Jet.

"Fine," I growl. I sheath my dagger and hold my hand out to Jet. He hands me some rope. I turn the girl around and pull her hands together, tying the ropes as tight as I can, deciding this would not be the best time to bring up the fact that she could just burn through the ropes.

Jet walks ahead of us back to camp, meaning I'm stuck leading the Fire/Earth freak back to camp.

"Your leader seems quite brash," she says softly. I roll my eyes.

"Tell me about it," I mumble. I'm a bit preoccupied. I don't exactly know whether or not Jet will be ticked at me for contradicting him in front of the "prisoner."

"So…what's his story?" she asks in a whisper.

"His story?"

"Where's he from?"

"Like most people, his mother's womb."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes I do, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't like you."

"Are you always this difficult?"

"No. Usually I'm worse."

"Brat."

"Freak."

At that moment Jet stops. We almost crash into him.

"We're here," he says. He pushes through the bushes into our clearing.

"Come on, move along!" I push the girl in the back. We burst into the clearing just behind Jet. Everybody stops talking and immediately look up. The girl seems uncomfortable for the first time. Hmm, so she doesn't like to be the center of attention. That's probably because she was ridiculed or something in her village.

"Jet, what is this?!" Sneers exclaims.

"An Earth Nation fire-bender!" Jet replies proudly. "Tie her to that tree Smellerbee."

"But-" I begin to tell Jet that I don't have any rope.

"SMELLERBEE!" roars Jet. I roll my eyes and drag the girl to the appointed tree and just stand there.

"Well?!" Jet looks ready to explode.

"Well I was _about_ to tell you that I don't have any rope, but you interrupted me," I snap. The girl sniggers. Jet looks embarrassed.

"Uh, Howler, get some rope," he orders, his cheeks turning slightly red. Just then, Shadow and Pipsqueak come back from patrol. Shadow takes in the scene as I tie the girl to the tree.

"_What's going on?"_ she mouths to me.

"_Ask_ **him**_."_ I mouth back rolling my eyes and jerking m thumb towards Jet. Shadow and Pipsqueak are Jet's advisors so to speak, meaning they keep him in line.

"Jet, can I speak with you for a moment?" Shadow asks, dragging Jet to our tent, Pipsqueak following, muttering something about Jet and I bringing home a girl instead of food.

The three disappear into the tent as I tie the final knot. I join the semi circle that has gathered around the tree, standing next to Bluejay, who still looks bored.

"So," Bluejays begins in a monotonous voice, "what's her name?" I suddenly realize that Jet and I hadn't asked.

"Uh… I don't know," I look expectantly at the girl. She smiles.

"Opal," she nods. I cock my eyebrow.

"Really?" I ask skeptically.

"Nope," she smiles smugly. I groan in exasperation and head to the tent I share with Shadow, hoping to hear Jet getting chewed out.

I stop outside the tent and hear Shadow trying to keep her voice low, sounding furious.

"…brought an innocent, lost girl here! Of course I'm ticked!" she snaps.

"You don't understand Shadow!" Jet shoots back. "She's a fire-bender!"

"Jet…" Pipsqueak interjects.

"I don't care if she's the fire princess herself! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Shadow interrupts Pipsqueak.

"She was acting suspiciously!" Jet snarls.

"Jet…" Pipsqueak tries again.

"Jet, standing in the middle of the woods is not suspicious!" Shadow interrupts Pipsqueak yet again.

"Sure it is, when it's OUR WOODS!" Jet snaps.

"Jet, unless you can find a reason to execute her," Shadow's voice is dangerously low, "then you have to let her go. If you won't, then I will." There's a soft yelp, as if Shadow is surprised. I peek in and see that Jet has her by the collar and is holding her in his face.

"I. Am. The. Leader. That means that _I_ make the decisions. If I say she dies…then she dies," Jet snarls into Shadow's face, "Got it?"

Shadow stares at him for a moment and then spits in his face.

Jet looses it. He tosses her on the ground and raises his fist but Pipsqueak grabs his arm.

"Jet! What the-?!"

I don't wait to see what happens next. I run as fast as I can back to the tree and cut the girl loose. She stares at me, confused.

"Run!" I tell her urgently.

"Why?" she folds her arms.

"My leader wants to kill you!" I yell. "Run!"

Opal's eyes widen and she takes off like a deer. I breathe a sigh of relief when she disappears.

Just then, Jet bursts into the clearing, Shadow and Pipsqueak close behind. Jet looks like a wild man, his hair is tousled and his clothes wrinkled. His eyes tear across the clearing savagely, like a starving beast. His crazy eyes come to a rest on me.

"WHERE IS THE PRISONER?!" Jet roars as he storms toward me. I am immediately on my guard, my sarcastic tendencies ready to spring into action.

"Her name is Opal," I say arrogantly.

"WHAT?!" Jet screams, confused as to why I would bring up such worthless information.

"You were going to execute her without even learning her name first?" I ask superiorly. I lower my head, talking in a disapproving, "Jet, Jet, Jet… How savage…"

Apparently that was overstepping my boundaries a bit.

"YOU LITTLE-!" Jet raises his arm, apparently ready to nail me with a backhand.

I just barely hold back my cry of pain when his hand connects with my face and I fall over.

Jet growls, sounding a little like a bear and runs off into the forest. Pipsqueak tears after him, yelling for him to stop.

"Smellerbee!" Shadow rushes to kneel next to me, "Oh my goodness! Are you hurt?!"

"No, I'm okay," I slur slightly. The truth is, I see stars but I've been hit much harder by much larger. I shake my head and the ringing clears that the stars dissolve.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reaffirm. Shadow sighs with relief.

"Good," she nods.

"Jet's a bit…unstable," I say as I stand up carefully.

"You noticed this when?" asks Shadow.

"Point taken," I say. I stare at the still trembling foliage.

"You know, for a minute, Jet sounded like he wanted to help her. Why do you think he flipped so easily when he got back here?"

"Well," Shadow begins, "Jet's very smooth. He was probably always planning to kill her but you didn't realize it."

I lower my eyes and kick the ground. "What happened after Jet tried to beat you up?"

"Well, Pipsqueak was shocked, obviously, and pulled Jet away from me, but Jet broke away and ran out here. You know the rest," Shadow says.

"If Jet beats you up all the time, why don't you revolt and have someone else take leadership? It's kind of ridiculous to let him get away with all that," I ask.

"Don't underestimate Jet. Besides, he's a good leader. You just have to learn to trust him and how not to get on his bad side," Shadow tells me.

I snort. "That is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever heard!"

"You'll learn eventually that it's best," Shadow reassures me. "Everyone does."

"What, after multiple beatings? I've been punched in the face by grown men. It'll take a lot more than a ten year old to put me down," I say skeptically.

"Pain isn't the only method Jet uses," Shadow tells me gravely.

"What do you mean?" I ask warily, feeling very naive.

"Just stay on his good side, Smellerbee. Trust me."

_**A/N: Wow, there is a lot of abuse in this story. O.O But, this is one of the last times it will come up. Don't worry.**_

_**Anyways, the next chapter is already up so go ahead and read! :D**_

_**Thanks to: avatard101 and Zuko's Princess for reviewing! :D **_

_**Reviews, of any kind, are welcome. Just please don't swear in them, because I will delete them. Yes, really. Haha! ;)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_Two Years Later_

"Hey Jet!" I call up the tree, "Do you want me to get the planks or the nails ready to go up first?!"

"Planks!" Jet calls back, his voice barely audible from the great hight.

"Got it!" I call.

Singing to myself, loving the sound of my clear, sweet voice, I tie the rope that dangles from the tree branch high above my head to a bundle of planks for the next addition of the hideout that we've been constructing up in the trees for the past year.

I turned nine a couple weeks ago. I think. I've lost track of time but I know for sure that I'm nine now.

My hair has grown back to a decent length and now comes part of the way down my back and I love running my fingers through it. I really missed it.

Another thing that's happened is we've had a LOT of new recruits. Apparently, this forest is a road well traveled by newly orphaned children.

Well, with quickly swelling forces, we began to get jittery in the small forest clearing. So, Jet, Shadow, and Pipsqueak decided to build a hideout. One that the Fire Nation would never find.

True, we haven't actually encountered any Fire Nation soldiers yet, but with so many orphans coming through, we've figured that they're steadily moving closer all the time. It probably won't be long before we see some action now.

Needless to say, we now have twenty-seven Freedom Fighters. And I'm still the youngest.

Terrific…

However, I am the best dagger wielder we've got. So ha.

Anyways, as I tug on the rope, signaling Jet that the planks are ready, I hear a rustling over to my left. Not wanting to scar the person away, I keep singing as if nothing is amiss.

I know it's not an animal. My singing is too loud for that. And the rustling is too secluded to be a wisp of wind.

Creeping stealthily over to the bushes, I slip out my dagger and keep singing. I reach the bushes and jump into them, tackling whoever's hiding in them.

I hear a loud "Oomph!" and I pin the person's arms to the ground with my knees, raising my dagger.

"What are you doing here?!" I snarl. A boy with messy black hair and wide, frightened, black eyes stares up at me.

"I-I am running from the F-Fire Nation. Please…don't kill me," he stutters.

"Why are you running from the Fire Nation?" I ask again, still glaring at the boy.

"They burned my village down. I was the only survivor," tears glaze the boy's eyes. I take in his whole appearance. His clothes are tattered, barely existent. Through some of the holes in his clothes, I can see half-healed burns covering his chest, arms, and stomach.

I get off of him and help him up. "Then you're like the rest of us," I say, following the If-you-find-an-orphan-in-the-Woods protocol that Jet set up, "I'm a member of the Freedom Fighters, we're all orphans. We're fighting against the Fire Nation. Would you like to join?"

"Um…" the boy looks wary at my obviously memorized speech.

"We have food," I roll my eyes. He lights up immediately.

"Sure, I'll join," he nods.

"What do you want your name to be?" I ask.

"Huh?" the boy looks at me quizzically.

"You pick a different name when you join. You only tell your real name to your closest friends. It's a big deal if you know someone else's real name," I explain.

"Ummm…" the boy seems to think.

"My name's Smellerbee, if that helps any," I tell him. The boy thinks for a moment then looks me straight in the eye

"Longshot," he says, "My name is Longshot."

"Good," I nod, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" he asks.

"To the hideout," I tell him, leading him back to the tree where the rope dangles down again.

"Smellerbee!" Jet calls, sounding perturbed, "We don't have all day!"

"I have someone you should meet!" I call up the tree. There's a moment of silence and then Jet comes sliding down the rope, landing in front of Longshot and I.

"Jet, this is Longshot. Longshot, this is Jet, our leader," I introduce the two.

Jet smiles his best welcoming/cocky smile and shakes hands with the boy.

"How old are you, Longshot?" he grins.

"Eleven," Longshot replies.

"Cool. I'm twelve and Smellerbee over there is nine. She's the youngest Freedom Fighter," Jet tells Longshot.

I hiss in annoyance. I was really hoping that my first impression on Longshot wouldn't be that I'm the youngest. Although, his first impression was probably terror, considering I tackled him and nearly scared the life out of him.

"Come on Longshot," Jet holds a rope out to him, "Grab this."

Longshot does so, eyeing the rope with distrust and then almost shrieking when he's zipped up into the air.

A minute later, the rope drops again and Jet grabs it, holding the bucket of nails in his other hand.

"Well done, Smellerbee," Jet smiles at me, "He'll make a good Freedom Fighter."

Jet flies up into the air and I'm left alone at the bottom for a moment.

Jet may be excited, but that's the second person we've found in a week. The Fire Nation's definitely moving closer. The rope falls down again and I grab it, looking out over the woods as I'm flown up into the air.

I almost scream when I see the smoke.

"You're absolutely _positive_, Smellerbee?" Jet asks me for the ten billionth time. I nod (for the ten billionth time).

"Yes, Jet. I'm absolutely positive. The Fire Nation is coming through the forest. They were close, maybe a mile or two away."

Shadow rubs her temples and Pipsqueak heaves a great breath. Jet sits on his bed, leaned over, rubbing his forehead, as if by rubbing it hard, the Fire Nation would go away.

"Jet, this is a disaster!" Shadow exclaims, gesturing wildly. "Our hideout is barely big enough to hold the people we have. We're in the middle of construction so we haven't had time to stock up on food or healing herbs. We know absolutely nothing about the size, number, or skill of the soldiers moving towards us. On top of that, we're _kids_!"

Jet's head shoots up, fire in his eyes.

"Is that a problem?" he asks.

"Yes!" Shadow almost yells. "To be honest, I never thought we'd actually _fight_!"

"Coward!" Jet jumps to his feet, looking very ready to do some damage. Luckily, Pipsqueak, who would totally beat Jet to a pulp if he tried anything, is standing right there.

"Look Shadow," Pipsqueak cuts in before things get ugly, "This is what we've been training for. We're ready. We'll send a scouting party and then we'll attack once we've worked out all the details."

"But…how do we know they weren't burning the forest down or that it wasn't just some runaway villagers?" Shadow asks.

"I know that smoke. It's too dark to be a wood fire. Fire Nation soldiers bend their fires. That smoke looks different," I explain.

"Are you serious?" Shadow raises an eyebrow.

I grin. "No, but I just… had a feeling that it was the Fire Nation."

"Oh, you had a feeling. We should totally trust _that_!" Shadow throws her hands in the air.

Pipsqueak places a steadying hand on Shadow's shoulder. Then he looks to Jet. "Jet, you're the leader. What do you think we should do?"

Jet runs his fingers through his wild hair, pacing back and forth across his hut. Then he stops, a determined look coming across his face.

"We're Freedom Fighters. We will fight."

"Yes!" Pipsqueak and I pump our fists in the air.

I run outside and whoop and holler, being careful not to fall off of the newly constructed bridges between the trees.

"We're going to war!" I shout. "We're going to war with the Fire Nation!"

Children come running out of their huts and crowd around me on the main platform where we eat.

"Is it true?" "Are we really?" "Death to them!" are the various statements that are thrown out to me.

"Yes!" I shout ecstatically, "I just came from a council with Shadow, Pipsqueak, and Jet! The Fire Nation is advancing, coming closer every day! We're going to crush them!"

"Hooray!" a joyous cry goes up. "Death to the Fire Nation!"

Grinning like a maniac, I pump my fist in the air. "Death to the Fire Nation!"

Slinking silently along one of the thick branches of the tree I'm in, I take careful precautions to make sure that I'm concealed by the leaves.

Jet, Shadow, Howler, and I make up the scouting party. Pipsqueak wanted to come but he's so dreadfully loud that we made him stay behind.

I'm by far one of the stealthiest in our group, bested only by Shadow.

That's how she picked her name, she told me once. Her parents always said that she was quieter than a phantom's shadow, always sneaking up on people without meaning to.

She never told me her real name, but I still feel privileged to know a piece of her past, no matter how small.

Anyways, I listen carefully for Jet's birdcall, which would be the signal to leave quickly because danger's looming.

I peek around from behind the leaves and take in every ounce of detail that I can.

I was right. It is the Fire Nation. There's at least fifty, heavily armed men. They've erected some sort of huge metal building, from which the black smoke pours.

It doesn't exactly look like a factory, it seems more…ominous.

Of course, that's just my gut feeling.

All around the metal building are smaller bunk-houses, around which men mill about, joking, laughing, sharpening weapons, and playing Pi Sho.

So, while it's wonderful that we've actually found a Fire Nation battalion to attack, the numbers they've come in are not so wonderful.

_Twitter twitter tweet! Twitter twitter tweet!_

Jet's bird call rings across the clearing.

_Twitter twitter two! Twitter twitter two!_ I whistle back.

Melting back into the leaves, I scurry back swiftly towards the trunk of the tree, shinnying around to the other side and running silently across that branch and leaping into the next tree.

I jump from tree to tree until it's safe enough to walk on the ground again.

I jump to the ground, trying to be silent like Shadow taught me, and look around for the rest of my group.

Howler is leaning up against a tree, but I don't see Shadow or Jet yet.

"So, what was the danger?" I ask Howler, a bit annoyed to have to talk to him. He and his sister never liked me much, but he was the one with Jet. Shadow and I went off on our own.

"Nothing. But we got the intel we needed," Howler smirks. He smirks a lot.

"Okay, so now what?" I cross my arms.

"We go back to hide out, dummy," Howler rolls his eyes and starts walking in the general direction of the hideout.

"You know," I say, trotting to catch up with him. "You might have more friends if your weren't such a grouch all the time."

"Said the pot to the kettle," Howler shoots back, not even looking back at me.

"Hey!" I exclaim indignantly. "I'm not grouchy!"

"Oh yeah, you're Little Miss Sunshine," Howler's voice drips with sarcasm.

"Well, you're… you're…" I fluster. "Ugh!"

"Haha," taunts Howler. I scowl at him. I raise my fist.

"I might be young, but I'm still strong," I remind him.

Howler raises his hands defensively. "Claws in tiger. Good grief."

Grumbling, I cross my arms and plod on after him. Being the littlest is the worst…

"No way! No _way_ are we doing this!" Shadow exclaims.

We're back in Jet's hut, discussing what we saw, along with Pipsqueak, who's still a part of Jet's "council."

"Shadow, we can take them!" Jet exclaims excitedly, "Plus, if we take them out…"

"_If_ we take them out?!" Shadow screeches.

"_When_! I said _when_ we take them out! Anyways, _when_ we take them out, we'll have scored a HUGE victory! That camps looks important!" Jet paces excitedly back and forth. "This is what we've been waiting for. This is our chance to avenge our families!"

"Jet's right!" Howler exclaims. "This is why we became Freedom Fighters in the first place!"

"We have to make sure that the Fire Nation knows what they did to us!" Pipsqueak roars.

"Yes! My family's blood shall not go unavenged!" I cry.

Through all of our cheering and roaring and fist pumping, Shadow stands in the corner, brooding. Looking up, she speaks softly, but resolvedly, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Jet, I don't think my family would want me to throw my life away to avenge them."

"What?!" Jet turns around, not necessarily angry this time, but shocked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that my family wouldn't want me to go on a suicide mission just to kill a couple of soldiers," Shadow says quietly.

Jet says something in reply, but I don't really hear it.

I think of my family. Would they want me to kill someone's brother? Someone's son? Someone's father? Is that really what they'd want me to do?

The room seems suddenly too hot and I can't focus. Everything's blurry and the colors are too bright. I feel dizzy as the hut sways and tilts dangerously.

I try to push my way out of the room. I vaguely hear the echo of someone asking me where I'm going but all I know is that I have to get out of this hut. Soon. Now.

Bursting out of the hut, everything is immediately better. The colors go back to normal, the cool breeze soothes my hot, sweaty face and I don't feel quite so dizzy.

I take a few gulps of the cool autumn air and walk off down one of the bridges that we've constructed between the trees.

I walk to one of the more secluded platforms and find that someone else is already sitting there. Surprised, I hang back to analyze.

The figure isn't much taller than me. It's obviously a boy. He's hunched over and I can hear the faint sound of crying. Looking closer, I realize that the boy is Longshot.

"Hey," I say quietly, taking a step towards him, deciding that I would rather interrupt him than find another platform.

Longshot starts and quickly wipes away his tears.

"Hey Smellerbee. Um, I didn't see you there."

Tears still linger in his voice.

"Sorry," I sit down next to him, letting my legs dangle over the edge of the platform. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just…things," Longshot replies, staring off into the leafy canopy.

"Yeah," I sigh, "Me too."

We sit in comfortable silence for a while, which is odd, because normally, being silent with an almost complete stranger isn't very comfortable at all. For some reason though, Longshot is easy to be quiet around. And that's even better than being easy to talk to.

After a bit though, Longshot speaks up again.

"So what are they arguing about in there?" he asks, giving me a sidelong glance.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair, shoving it out of my face. "Wether or not to fight the Fire Nation soldiers at the camp we found."

"Why aren't you in there arguing with them?" Longshot gives me a wry half-smile, "You seem to like that."

Normally, I would glare at anyone who said that, but I just chuckle. Longshot means well.

"I don't know," I look away. "Shadow said something…something that made me question what I'm doing."

Longshot doesn't say anything, just looks at me. I can tell he wants to know what she said though.

I take a deep breath and look at the leaves above us, at the leaves below us, at the leaves in front of us, and almost all the leaves in between, trying to figure out a way to say this without crying.

Longshot waits quietly; patiently over my ten minute stalling spree and, eventually, I get up the nerve to talk.

"Shadow says that she doesn't think her family would want her to throw away her life for them. And…I can't help but think that my family wouldn't want me to either. I don't even know what I'm *doing* here! It was all so fast…Jet found me, I was starving, and I joined. I never really thought about what I was doing.

"But on the other hand, I don't want to *not* fight either! These are the people who killed my family. The people who enslaved me and my friends. The people who took over my village. The people who *destroyed my life*! I don't want to let them get away with that, but I don't want to be hypocritical either!" I say all in a rush. Longshot listens, nodding occasionally, seeming deep in thought.

When I finish, Longshot just stares at the leaves below for a long time. Well, at least it feels that way. I'm anxious to know what he thinks and I'm not nearly as patient as he is. Finally, he looks up at me. "I don't think that you're being hypocritical by killing soldiers," he says. "That's what they signed up for. They knew their lives could be at stake and they were prepared to face that reality. You did _not_ sign up for the army. Neither did your family or your village. What those soldiers did was murderous. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. The question is, are we the ones to make sure they don't?"

I am taken aback by this boy's wisdom. I stare into his serious black eyes and wonder if there is any measurement of the depths of his mind. Staring into his eyes makes me feel like I'm drowning.

It's strange; when I look into Jet's earthy brown eyes, I normally either see cockiness or determination. Shadow's misty grey ones are warm and kind. Howler's snappy green orbs are cold and taunting. Bluejays startling sapphire eyes are passive and unreadable. But Longshot's…his are like a gauzy black curtain, and if you could only pull it away, you'd be amazed by the beautiful things you saw.

"Yes," I say quietly. "I think we are."

Longshot nods gravely. "Me too."

_**A/N: Reviews welcome! **___


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hey everybody! :D Thanks for reading so far! I'd especially like to thank avatard101. Happy Birthday! **____** I'm not too terribly late, am I? **____** I hope not. **_

_**Anyways, enjoy! **___

_**All reviews and constructive criticism are welcome! :D**_

I walk into the hut that I share with Shadow and take a deep breath.

Shadow is sitting on her bedroll, her head in her hands, looking defeated.

"It's decided," she says quietly. "We're going to war."

"We're technically already at war," I point out, plopping down on my own bedroll, taking off my shirt, pants, and boots, leaving me in my white tank top and shorts, which I use as underwear and pajamas. Some girls wear it differently, but not until they're a lot older.

Shadow is already in her 'sleep attire' and she crawls under the rabbit-squirrel furs that she's made into a blanket.

"I just don't think we're ready," Shadow says quietly.

"Will we ever be?" I ask crawling under my own blanket, relishing in the instant warmth it gives me. It's chilly up in the treetops.

"I don't know," Shadow whispers.

I stare at her for a minute and then look up at the ceiling. The cloth flap of our hut has been secured, but the pink light of the sunset filters in below it.

I love having the sun as my candle. It goes out by itself and it bathes the room in the most beautiful colors before it does.

"Smellerbee?" Shadow suddenly sits up.

"Yeah?" I reply, sitting up as well.

"Do…do you think we're gonna die tomorrow?" terror fills Shadow's grey eyes as she stares at me.

I shake my head firmly. "No, I don't.

"Smellerbee, I've been your mentor for two years now," Shadow says, "I just want you to know that I think of you as a sister."

I smile, truly touched. "Yeah. Me too."

"You know, it might be because you remind me a lot of my real sister," Shadow tells me. "She was eight."

"Mine was two. Well, one of them. The other was twenty-three," I tell Shadow, trying not let the tears invade my eyes.

"Two?" gasps Shadow.

"Yeah," I sigh, "I had a brother too. He was sixteen."

"Wow," Shadow says quietly. "What happened to them?"

I hesitate for a moment, and then smile at her. "Are we going to tell each other?"

"Tell each other what?" Shadow asks, confused.

"Our stories. Our names," I reply. "The biggest honor a Freedom Fighter can bestow upon another."

Shadow seems to think this over a minute, and then she smiles radiantly. "Yes."

So, I tell Shadow my story. How the Fire Nation took my parents, stabbed my brother, murdered my sister's family, and killed my little sister. I tell her how they enslaved me and my best friend and how I escaped. But I don't tell her my name just yet.

It takes me a lot longer to tell it than I expected though. I didn't realize how raw the grief still was. I stutter and choke through most of it, fighting off tears. By the time I've finally got it all off my chest, I'm sobbing. But I also feel lighter somehow, as if telling Shadow kind of made it better.

"Smellerbee…" Shadow is speechless, "That's horrible!"

"It really is," I sniff. We sit in silence for a minute.

"My mother," Shadow begins, "Came running into the house. I was playing with my sister. She wouldn't tell us what was wrong; she just took a rice sack and dumped out all the rice. Then she put blankets and food and clothes in it. She shoved it into my arms and told me to take my sister and run; that the Fire Nation was coming. I dragged my sister out of the house and ran. We didn't stop to ask why my mother wasn't coming, we just ran. We ran for about five minutes and then we heard the screams. We stopped and looked back. The whole village was in flames. Then it occurred to us that our mother had probably gone to find our grandmother, since our dad was fighting in the army, there was no one else who she could've gone for.

"Well, my sister started screaming for my mom and ran back. She… she ran back and I couldn't stop her…"

Shadow takes a deep, shaky breath. I nod in sympathy. This is the worst part for her. After a second, Shadow regains her voice, but she's got tears running down her cheeks.

"My sister was burned alive. I couldn't do anything about it so I just ran. I ran and ran and ran and ran. I ran into these woods and a few weeks later, Jet and Pipsqueak found me. We decided to become the Freedom Fighters. And I've been Shadow ever since," Shadow finishes. I shake my head.

"How horrible," I say.

"Yeah. It was horrible. It *is* horrible," Shadow shakes her head. We're both silent again. Then she smiles. "So…what's your name?"

I smile at her. "My name is Talee."

"Mine's Mai Ling," Shadow tells me, smiling sadly, "How'd you choose your nickname?"

"Well, the kids used to call me 'Smelee' to tease me and my family's nickname for me was 'Bee.' I just combined them so I'd always remember that life is bittersweet," I explain.

"Wow. I just picked the nickname my dad had for me," Shadow gives a wry half-smile. I pull my knees up to my chest.

"We're never gonna be the same after tomorrow," I say quietly, "We won't be little kids anymore, but we won't exactly be grown-ups either. We'll be somewhere in between."

Shadow nods gravely. "And we'll become closer than ever."

It's true. There's a kind of bond that's formed when you fight alongside someone. They watch your back and you watch theirs. You become more than just friends. You become sisters and brothers. Maybe even closer. Some siblings are really, really close, but I've never seen a relationship quite like that between two soldiers. They'd die for each other. They're the rock that the other stands on.

In a way, I look forward to building that kind of bond, but I also dread it. You have to go through some pretty rough times before you get there.

But, for tonight, I won't worry about that. I'm just going to enjoy the time I have just to talk and be a kid with Mai Ling.

Who knows when I'll get another chance?

My heart pulses in my ears, and I shake my head vigorously, trying to regain my hearing. My hand goes to my side and I silently slide my dagger out of its sheath.

I'm hiding in a bush at the edge of the clearing where the Fire Nation camp is.

Jet decided that we're not skilled enough to drop from the trees just yet, so we spread out around the clearing.

Two days ago, Shadow and I told each other our real names. Between then and now, Jet, Shadow, and Pipsqueak planned an entire attack.

Two of our twenty eight Freedom Fighters stayed behind, so that someone could tend to our wounded and collect food and herbs while we're gone.

The rest of the plan is simple: Surround the camp and them attack. Leave none alive.

Originally, Jet was going to have me stay behind as one of the healers, since I'm the youngest. I was stubborn (and a bit over dramatic, meaning I basically told Jet he would have to cut off my legs before I stayed behind) so jet reluctantly agreed.

So, here I am. Crouching, waiting; listening.

It's strange though; I'm the hunter, and I have never felt more like prey.

Suddenly, I hear Jet's birdcall. There's no more time for thinking.

Everyone charges from the bushes, screaming.

The men are surprised, to say the least. They all jump up from eating, talking, playing Pi Sho and the like.

I run up to the man closest to me, and with w great battle cry, I shove my dagger into his chest. Well, a bit below; I'm still pretty short.

I pull my dagger out and watch as the man looks shocked, then mournful, and then passive.

He falls over… dead. My first kill.

I shudder. I move on to another man, feeling a little hesitant, for this soldier is much larger than the other one.

He sneers. "Little brat. I'll teach you!"

He grabs for me, but I'm quick. I duck away, and spin around behind him and plunge my dagger into his back, trying to keep the contents of my stomach _in_ my stomach at the horrid sound it makes.

The man screams and falls over, clutching at his back.

I'm not exactly sure what to do. Finish him off? Leave him and finish it later?

I don't have time to decide, because another soldier is already on me.

He grabs me arm and I try to break away. I can't; his grip is too strong. The soldier laughs at me and lets me struggle.

Seeing no other option, I slash the man's fist with my dagger, my eyes widening in shock at the amount of blood that immediately flows from the wound.

The man releases me instantly and falls to his knees. I stab him in the upper arm on his other side, disabling him. The man cries out in pain. I grab his shoulder and yank him up straight so I can stab him in the throat. His black eyes are filled with tears.

"Please! I have a wife, a daughter…please, they're waiting for me!" the soldier pleads.

I'm conflicted. He seems genuine. And I miss my father more than anything. What makes me better than him? Then I remember what Longshot said.

"Oh yeah?" I hiss. "Well guess what? I miss my father too. The only difference is, he was murdered. You weren't. You were killed in the line of duty."

I plunge my dagger into the man's throat and he falls over, blood flowing out of his throat, choking and sputtering.

I feel strong, powerful, and…bloodthirsty.

I've never felt this way before. It's…tantalizing. I suppose it comes with fighting… and killing.

Suddenly, I hear Jet screaming.

"Retreat! _Retreat_! " he screams. I snap out of my trance and look around. Blood and bodies litter the clearing. Some of them are soldiers. Most are Freedom Fighters, not all dead, but mostly wounded.

Jet, Shadow, and Pipsqueak grab those that they can and drag them quickly away. I try to run after them, but I was all the way at the other side of the clearing.

That is not a good place to be.

Now, most of the battalion is between me and my escape route.

I try to run quickly and dodge all the grabbing hands, but someone grabs my arm and I scream in terror. I try to tear away, and I'm screaming frantically. I'm not thinking. All I know is that I have to get away. _Now_.

"Jet! JET! JET HELP!" I scream, horrified, beating the man who holds me with my small, nine year old fists as he chuckles evilly.

"Smellerbee!" Shadow screams back.

"Leave her!" I hear Jet yell. "We don't have a choice!"

"NO! NO PLEASE HELP ME JET!" I'm frenzied and I can't see or think or hear or feel. I just _have_ to get away!

After what seems like an eternity, I wear myself out from screaming and trying to get away.

"Well, well, well," the man holding me sneers. "Lookie what we've got here boys!"

"Who are you, kid?" another soldier asks me brusquely. I am ashamed to say that I can't help it anymore. I burst into tears. Not just I-dropped-my-cake tears, they're more like I'm-all-alone-now tears. Needless to say, I'm sobbing so much that I'm hiccupping.

"Aw! Let her go! She's only a kid!" one of the soldiers yells.

"Please…" I gasp, my knees giving way. The soldier who first grabbed me is still holding tightly to my arm.

"I don't think so. These kids might come back. They already killed twelve of us! They're dangerous!" the man throws me forcefully on the ground and a fresh round of sobs bursts from my lips.

"Please!" I scream in desperation as the man draws his sword. "Just hear me out!"

The soldier hesitates. I can see the wheels turning in his head. Uncertainty flashes across his face and I decide to take the opportunity.

"We-we're orphans. All of us. Our families w-were killed," I choke out between hiccupping sobs. "Our villages were ei-either occ-occupied or-r b-bur-burned. We survived and ran into the woods. We fo-formed a group, so we could survive. We call ourselves the F-freedom Fighters. We-"

"Does this group also take pride in killing soldiers?" hisses the man who grabbed me, brandishing his sword confidently again.

Oh stupid, _stupid_ me! What a blunder!

"N-no!" I gasp. "We're j-just trying to s-survive-!"

"What threat did our battalion pose to you?!" snarls another soldier, standing up.

"You killed our families. It was not my decision to go to war, that was the council's decision! I w-was just following orders-!" I say quickly, my eyes widening in terror.

"Council?" a different soldier, the one who'd tried to defend me, stands up as well. "They're that organized? You're right, these kids are dangerous. We should kill her."

The man holding the sword glares down at me, obviously mulling over several ideas, his coal black eyes roaming over me like a wolf waiting to kill a rabbit. I have never felt more vulnerable.

"No," he shakes his head at last. "She's got information on this 'council.' We might need that information later. She can tells us all about this little 'organization' of theirs."

The men grin evilly and some snicker. The man with the sword walks closer to me and points the sword at my throat, digging the tip into my skin a little.

"Where do you live?" he asks.

"In the woods," I reply, trying to sound unintelligent.

"_Where_ in the woods, you little guttersnipe?!" the man shoves the tip into my skin slightly harder. I feel a drop of blood trickle down my neck and I shudder.

"Among the trees," I reply, again trying to sound like a silly, stupid little girl.

"_WHERE?!_" the man screams, pulling his sword away, obviously losing patience. I see a flash of red. At first, nothing happens, and then I feel a searing pain on my scalp. I scream and try to clutch my head, only burning my hands. I thrash about and begin to wail like a panther. They set my hair on fire! They set my_ hair_ on _fire_!

The fire finally stops, apparently running out of fuel. I lie on the ground, in misery; my scalp still feels like it's burning.

"Please!" I sob. "Please just let me go!"

"Not until you tell us what we want to know!" hisses the soldier, lighting up his fist again with a blaze that looks as if it's reaching its starving tendrils towards me.

"Now," the soldier kneels down in front of me. "Where does your group live?"

I stare in horror at the fire, the pulsing heat seeming to pound in my ears and I look to the soldiers black eyes and see nothing but hate.

…

Foggy mist veils my consciousness. Achingly familiar voices float through the haze, creating a confusing jumble.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so confusing if I wasn't hearing Jet and Tunzin trying to talk to me at the same time.

"Oh my goodness!" I hear Shadow gasp, but her voice sounds off, shimmery, almost.

"Talee?" I hear Tunzin. His voice sounds strange too but he sounds closer than Shadow.

"Get into medical!" I hear Jet yelling, sounding a million miles away.

"Talee?" Tunzin's voice materializes completely and the blackness behind my closed eyelids melts away as a beautiful white light replaces it.

Tunzin is standing in the dimensionless white expanse not too far away from me, wearing a white shirt and pants, smiling at me.

He is perfectly clean and he looks serenely content.

"Talee," he says again.

"Wh-where am I?" I ask, looking around me.

"The in-between," Tunzin says, walking towards me until he's only a few steps away from me. "I've come to escort you."

It doesn't take an idiot to figure out where.

"Tunzin…" my throat goes dry."Am…am I dead?"

"Not yet. You're close to it though, somewhere in between," Tunzin smiles. "You have a choice."

"A choice?" I cock my head.

"Yup. You can choose to go back and live until…well, you really die I guess. *Or* you can come with me, to Heaven. Mom, Dad, Tengza, and Tai Lu are waiting for you," Tunzin smiles at me. "All you have to do is take my hand."

Tunzin extends his hand to me. I stare at it, wanting to take it oh so badly. I _want_ to go and see my family. I _want_ to go and live with them in Heaven, where I'll never have to see another death again. But something stops me.

"Can I see what's happening to my…body, I guess?" I ask Tunzin.

Tunzin nods. "You won't be able to see yourself, but you can see what's going on around you."

Tunzin pulls out a small, crystal bottle that is about half-full with a pale blue liquid. He pulls out the cork and let's a few drops fall on the white fog that floats around our feet.

A sort of window opens up, the center is clear, but it gets hazy and ripply towards the edges.

I kneel down next to it and look through.

I see Shadow, sobbing and holding someone's limp hand; I'm assuming it's mine.

Jet is pacing back and forth behind the kids we elected to be doctors and at the edge of the group, I see Longshot, staring at someone with a blank, expressionless stare.

"Please, Smellerbee! Don't die! Please, please hold on!" Shadow sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks, her chest heaving with grief.

"Fix her! Your _job_ is to _fix her_!" Jet yells at the doctors.

"We're _trying_! She's slipping, there's next to _nothing_ we can do!" one of the doctors snaps back wearily, as if she's so worried that her energy has been drained in a mere ten minutes.

"Please," I hear Shadow's voice more clearly now. It seems to echo around the white expanse that Tunzin and I stand in and she's leaning in towards the person whose hand she's holding. She must be whispering in my ear.

"Please. Don't go, Talee. We need you. _I_ need you!"

Suddenly, the window shimmers and then dissolves into a sweet smelling mist that floats up into my face.

"No!" I try to pull the window back open, but it's as if my hands pass through nothing. "No! Wait, I have to see!"

"Talee," Tunzin says quietly. "You have to choose now."

I stand up and realize that tears are running down my cheeks.

"I-I can't!" I sob. "C-can't I wait and see if they save me or not?"

"It doesn't work that way. This is a special situation," Tunzin smiles sadly. "You need to choose."

Tunzin holds out his hand. "All you have to do is take my hand."

"B-but," I hiccup through my tears. "I'll get here e-eventually, right?"

"Yes. Eventually." Tunzin smiles a bit more broadly now, as if I'm catching on.

"I…I think I want to go back," I say uncertainly. Then I hold my head erect. "No. I _know_ I want to go back."

"Okay," Tunzin pulls out the bottle again and holds it out to me, smiling. "Take a sip."

I take the bottle and uncork it. I touch my lips to the cool crystal surface, but hesitate.

"Tell everyone I love them. Tell them that they're the reason I'm going back," I say. "Promise me you'll tell them Tunzin.

"I will. I think they already know, though," Tunzin smiles. "See you soon, Bee."

"See you soon," I smile back. Then I look back to the bottle, take a deep breath and then tilt a small trickle of liquid down my throat.

It tastes sweet, like honey-suckle and spring breezes.

And then comes the pain.

…

I want to moan. But I can't. It hurts too much. I try to force my eyes open, but they feel as if they've been glued shut and I have to really work at it before they finally flutter open.

"Smellerbee!" Shadow's face is the first I see. Not shimmering and distant; sharp and real. She looks overjoyed and worried at the same time.

"She's awake!" Shadow exclaims more loudly, excitement filling her voice.

"Smellerbee?" Jet's face appears over me, looking mortally worried. He relaxes and even smiles when he sees me awake. "Thank goodness you're awake!

I have about a billion questions, but my throat burns with an intense, unnatural pain, almost exactly like the pain that I feel on my scalp and over my arms and legs, so I just force my lips into a small smile instead.

"You've been out cold for three days, maybe longer. That's just when we found you," Jet says.

That strikes a chill down my spine. Found me?

"We think the soldiers left you as an example. Do you remember anything? What they said, what they…did to you?" Shadow asks, squeezing my hand gently.

I try to think back to my time in the Fire Nation camp, but am shocked to find that I remember nothing.

I shake my head, still frustrated at how much my throat hurts. It's unnatural for it to hurt so much. It's almost as if… A horrible, unspeakable thought dawns on me and my eyes go wide and I gesture frantically to my throat with my free hand, adrenaline temporarily blocking out the pain that should surge through me in reaction to the sudden movement.

Jet looks grim and tears spring into Shadow's eyes.

"Smellerbee," Jet says gently, kneeling down next to me. "The burned your throat."

…

It's been about a week now and the doctors have finally allowed me to go walking around the camp. Kids look away when I pass, almost guiltily, as if they want to reach out with comforting words, but are afraid of sounding stupid.

Their silence hurts more than their words ever could.

The only person who doesn't run away or make some excuse to leave when I walk past is Longshot. He's always right next to me, walking alongside me in the woods as I pick berries and nuts, the only chore that I'm allowed to do, and he sits by me at mealtimes. Well, mealtimes are still a challenge for me.

The doctors are concerned that I won't be able to eat solid food again for a while. Even drinking water makes me cough and sputter and it feels as if my throat is closing up.

The doctors say that their best guess is that it's because of scar tissue and swelling.

It really hits home how little resources we have out here when we have injuries like mine. Besides my throat, all of my hair was burned off, leaving my scalp charred and blistered. The doctors put a salve on it and make me change the bandages daily. I also have burns and cuts up and down my arms, including two brands on the back of each of my hands, as if they heated a fire poker and then touched my hands with it.

I'm glad I don't remember the time I was in the camp. I'm glad I don't remember the pain. Or the heat.

On this particular day, I'm sitting where I first talked with Longshot, the day before we went into battle.

Presently, Longshot comes me sits next to me.

"How're you doing?" he asks.

I shrug. _Bored. Bored out of my mind. And stiff._ I say in my mind.

"Well, just be glad you're not doing some construction or something," Longshot leans back on his hands, as if he completely understood what I said.

_Anything would be better than this,_ I stare at the ground.

"Hey," Longshot places a hand on my shoulder. I tense up. He removes it. "Sorry. But everything is going to be alright. You may have to learn how to function differently, but you'll end up being okay in the end."

I glare at him. _Thanks for the pep-talk. I feel like rainbows and sunshine._

Longshot lets out a quiet laugh. "Okay, not the best speech ever, but then again, I'm not that great with words."

I sigh. At least, it would have been a sigh.

"Look," Longshot take my hand gently, and I let him. "I know this is going to be hard, and things are never going to be the same again, but I'll be your friend. I'll help you through this."

I give a weak smile to Longshot and he smiles back. I really don't know how he can do that

Smile without forcing it. It's like he doesn't see the hideous bandages that cover my head, or the burns that cover my arms and hands. It's like he sees me as I used to be, with my long, brown hair and olive skin. And normal lips.

I don't know what happened there, but they were really messed up. It probably happened when they burned my throat.

I smile at Longshot. _Thanks._

He smiles back. _No problem._

We just sit there for a while, staring at the leaves as the light from the setting sun tinges red and gold, the autumn leaves still holding fast to the branches.

After a while, Longshot gives my hand a final squeeze and gets up.

"Patrol," he gives a sad smile. "I'll be back later. Maybe I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."

I roll my eyes. _Not likely…_

Longshot laughs in his gentle, quiet way again and walks off.

I sigh. Now I'm going to have to go back to the hut that Shadow and I share. And that means that I'll have to talk to Shadow. Well, as close to talking as I can get anyways.

Sighing, I stand to my feet and make my way back to the hut over the bridges and platforms.

One might think that Shadow would be even more protective of me than Longshot, but one would be wrong. Shadow is overjoyed that I'm alive, don't get me wrong, but she's seemed to have decided that since I'm different, I'm going to be offended every time she talks to me.

That, and she starts crying after five minutes of contact. Once, she ran off, saying that it was just "too hard for her."

Hard for her?! It's not particularly easy for me either, in case she missed the memo! I mean, right now, friends are what I really need, but when they push me away, it's not much help.

Jet has been okay. As okay as Jet gets, I suppose. He's been hanging around with Longshot and I a lot more. We've become a sort of trio. Jet and Longshot really hit it off, which is a huge relief. Jet has actually seemed to have calmed down a lot. Maybe having more kids in the group has made him realize that you can't just fly off in a fit whenever something doesn't go as you planned. He's actually pretty cool. He, Longshot, and I have been working on plans and maps together. We've devoted a whole hut to battle tactics. Longshot has an amazing memory when it comes to geographical matters and Jet has a talent for drawing. Together, they make great map drawers or whatever they're called. They use my analytical thinking to come up with new battle tactics that could stand up to Fire Nation soldiers. We've made good progress so far and our friendship has been oddly strengthened through that.

Anyways, I push through the cloth flap that serves as the door to our hut and see that Shadow is already "asleep" in her bedroll.

She knows that I can't call her out on her fake slumber if I don't have a voice to call with.

I get ready for bed and crawl into my bedroll and then just stare at the ceiling. I think that one of the worst things about losing my voice is that I'm not able to sing anymore. The thought brings tears springing to my eyes. I loved to sing. My voice used to be clear, high, lilting, and haunting. Now it's gone.

How much more can these monsters take from me?

_**A/N: Sorry that it's kind of short. I tried to pack a lot of "action" into it though. **_____

_**Okay, so I'd like to point out that when Smellerbee and Longshot are "talking" they're not speaking telepathically, they just have learned to understand each other really well. I was going to have Smellerbee lose her voice from the beginning, as an interesting twist, but don't worry, things will look up soon for our little Bee. **___

_**However, since Camp NaNoWriMo is coming up (NaNoWriMo=National Novel Writing Month) in April, I won't be able to post as much, since I will be participating. **____** So please be patient and I will probably have more up by May. **___

_**Thanks for reading and please review! :D**_

_**Have a blessed Easter! **___


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Hey everybody! :D Whew! It's good to be back! **_

_**I'm so sorry that it's taken me forever to post this! It's been crazy busy and I just haven't had the time.**_

_**It's also kind of short, but I think it'll be worth it! :D  
Soooo, I attempted NaNoWriMo….. and failed. Buuut I am still writing my book and making good progress, so that's good. :)**_

_**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! It really means a lot to me! :)**_

The next few weeks are tough. I'm finally able to take my bandages off, but the skin that has formed over my wounds is hard, gnarled, ugly scar tissue. My voice is still gone, and I doubt it'll ever come back. But Jet has *finally* let me go back to regular duties, such as fighting practice and patrol, although he's still significantly shortening my routes and practice times.

One day, after patrol and practice, I find myself going for a walk, deep into the woods in a direction I've never really ventured too far in before.

After about half an hour, I encounter thick foliage, but instead of going around, I push through, stubbornly refusing to change direction.

It's worth it.

I stand, my mouth open in awe at the beautiful place around me. It's a small glade, encircled by thick vegetation, but inside, it opens up into a small grassy circle, carpeted with autumn leaves. Birds chip cheerily and the wind rustles the leaves on the ground, creating a calm, beautiful atmosphere.

The place almost doesn't seem real. I immediately decide that it is my special, secret place.

I will come here to get away from people. I will come here to feel normal again.

But right now, the sun is setting and I have to get back to the hideout for dinner. If I'm late, I doubt Jet will let me go out on patrol again.

So, I turn and leave the glade, smiling to myself.

As I stroll back to the hideout, I think about the happenings of the Forest.

Howler and Bluejay are still as sullen as ever. I don't know what happened to them, and if I still had my voice, I might ask, but I'm a little afraid of getting my head bitten off.

Shadow still refuses to talk to me or even acknowledge me. It doesn't make me angry, like I thought it would. It hurts me. Deeply. The night before the battle, we exchanged names and now she won't even look at me?! Am I that hideous?!

Reflexively, my hand goes to the scar tissue on my scalp. Hard, gnarled, and surly hideous, my scalp is still free of any sign of hair. It's futile, I suppose, to hope that any hair could ever break through the thick scar tissue.

My feminism is yet another thing the Fire Nation took away from me.

I study the brands on the back of my hands, rubbing them gently with my thumb as I walk along.

They don't have any particular shape, although Jet speculates that they were made with the tip of a sword. They are pretty wide; they cover almost the entire back of my hands.

Jet doesn't want me to know about it, but every time I'm not around, he makes a speech about how I am the product of the Fire Nation's torture. Do they want to end up like me? Scarred, defeated, and voiceless? They must cry out with their voices while they still have them. They must quench the flame of the Fire Nation. They must avenge all of the victims who came before me, living or dead.

I don't hold it against him. At least he has the decency to do it when I'm (supposedly) not around, but the words still sting. Most of my skin is angry-red, although the parts of my skin that escaped burns are deathly pale. Either that or dotted with black and blue bruises.

Besides burns, I have deep cuts on my arms and legs that now have thick brown scabs over them and look as if they're going to scar as well.

My body tells a story of unspeakable abuse. Truly unspeakable, in every sense of the word.

I miss my voice sorely. I still haven't really gotten used to the fact that it's gone. I'll open my mouth to say something or to laugh and nothing happens. It's quite depressing.

At this point, I don't really care if I can sing or not, I just want my voice back. I want to tell Longshot how much he's been a support to me. I want to tell Jet that he's made such good progress with his anger issues.

I want to scream profanities at Shadow.

Does she know how much she's hurting me?! When I was in the in-between, she said that she needed me. If she needs me so much, then why isn't she even talking to me?

Just then, when I'm about two or three minutes away from the hideout, I bump into Shadow.

"Talee, finally. I was hoping you'd show up soon," Shadow says, a half-smile on her face.

I glare at her. My given name coming out of her mouth is like a slap in the face.

Seeing my distaste, Shadow drops the smile.

"Come with me," Shadow beckons for me to follow her, starting off to the left.

I hesitate, but only for a moment. I then clamber after her into the bushes.

I find her kneeling by a stream that we normally get water from, but in a more secluded area, where people aren't likely to come by.

I make my way over to her with a soft tread and kneel down next to where she's scooping up mud from the stream bank.

"Smellerbee, I have something to tell you," Shadow takes a deep breath, avoiding my gaze and playing with the mud in her hands."I'm an earth-bender."

My eyes widen in shock.

"I didn't tell anyone because I wasn't sure what Jet would make me do. But…but I have healing abilities," Shadow continues in a rush. "And I haven't really spoken to you lately because I was feeling guilty. I mean, I could heal you, but I wouldn't because I was too afraid. So…I'm going to heal you now. If you'll let me, that is."

I just stare at Shadow for a long moment, trying to process all of this.

So _that's_ why she didn't talk to me! Still, this is just a new thing to be mad about. Then again, she is coming forward now and offering to heal me. Who am I to say no? Besides, I get it.

Underneath it all…I think I'm desperate to have my best friend back.

I nod to Shadow, giving a hint of a smile as well and she relaxes.

"Oh thank you," she says, smiling widely at me. "I should warn you though; the healing might not restore you to what you were before. What happens as a result of this healing session is as good as it's going to get," Shadow warns.

I nod again, more solemn. Anything has to be better than this.

"Okay," Shadow says seriously. "Let's get started."

She levitates the mud up into the air and smears it onto my scared flesh with bending. It begins to glow and I feel a strange, cooling sensation.

Shadow continues to smear the mud on all of my injuries, making them glow and cool.

I feel my scalp softening and hair beginning to grow. Some of my scars fade and some of my burns disappear, but other wounds, like the brands on the back of my hands, stay the same.

Finally, Shadow levitates all of the mud back off of me and sighs. She smiles at me.

"Smellerbee," she says. "You have hair."

I reach up to touch my scalp and instead of feeling disgusting scar tissue, I feel soft hair. My mouth drops open in shock and then I lift up my hands to examine the brands.

They're still there, but they are much, _much_ less pronounced. I examine my other various scars and burns and find that, if they haven't completely healed, they've faded a lot.

I smile at Shadow, showing all my teeth. I feel joy selling up inside of me. I am beautiful.

I may not have silky hair like Shadow, or flawless skin like Bluejay, but right now… I feel like a princess.

Shadow smiles back at me. Then she levitates another small bit of glowing mud over to me, adopting a more serious expression.

"Smellerbee, I'm going to ask you to open your mouth," Shadow says.

I give her a curious look and eye the mud distastefully.

"Just trust me," Shadow says earnestly.

After a moment, I obediently open my mouth, if somewhat warily.

Shadow slides the mud down my throat and there's a brief moment of a putrid taste and a slight choking sensation.

Then, my throat seems to widen and loses the tight feeling that has become the norm in the past two months.

A delicious cooling sensation follows and then Shadow pulls the mud out of my throat and I take deep gulping breaths, relishing in how effortlessly they go down.

I laugh.

I stop. I…laughed. I look at Shadow with wide eyes and she smiles gently back.

"Go ahead, Smellerbee," she says. "Try and speak."

"H-hel-lo," I say haltingly. My voice is scratchy and gravelly, but it's there. I can talk.

"I can talk!" I exclaim, jumping up and hauling Shadow to her feet as well. "I can talk! I can talk! I can talk!"

I laugh for joy as I swing Shadow around.

"Thank you!" I suddenly give her a spine-crushing hug. "Oh thank you!"

Everyone, Longshot especially, was overjoyed at my recovery.

At first, Shadow and I were unsure of how to present the change, since Shadow still wasn't sure she wanted Jet to know that she could earthbend, but in the end, she came clean and told everyone how she'd done it.

My voice is still scratchy and sounds odd, and my diving sounds like a dying cat, but I'm still just glad to have a voice at all.

I've taken to wearing long sleeves, gloves, face paint, and a headband, all of which cover my most prominent scars. The rest are either very faint or gone completely.

I feel feminine again, now that I have hair, although it will probably never grow any longer. Some of the boys jeer at me, saying I look like a boy, although Jet soon put an end to that.

Bluejay has actually been very supportive of me, chastising the boys when they tease and giving her patented glare-of-death to the girls who whisper.

Once I stammered out a thank-you to her, after she gave a particularly scathing look to one merciless giggler.

She just shrugged and said she was sure it would die off in time. They were just being immature.

Today, I'm sitting next to Longshot on the ledge we sat on the night before the battle, feeling as if I haven't a care in the world.

I'm babbling on to Longshot about a hunting patrol I went on with Jet, Pipsqueak, and Shadow, and am jus relating an unfortunate (yet rather humorous) encounter with a thorn-bush that was apparently right next to the home of a very overprotective mother rabbit.

I was just about to get to the part where Shadow and I manage to rip Pipsqueak free while Jet "distracted" the rabbit, when I notice that Longshot is staring at me intently.

"What?" I say, almost defensively. Longshot smiles and looks down at his lap.

"I was just thinking…about how you're the strongest person I know," Longshot looks up at me and I feel myself blush but I can't look away.

"You're really amazing, Smellerbee. You're spirited, strong, and smart," Longshot looks into my eyes with fierce intensity and I feel as if I'm melting from the inside out, but it's a good feeling and I like it.

"You are beautiful, Smellerbee," Longshot says. I'm blink in surprise. I hadn't expected _that_!

"Don't ever let anyone make you forget that," Longshot says more quietly, staring at his lap again.

It's silent for a moment. I don't know how to respond but I don't know if Longshot expects me to.

Suddenly, Longshot looks up and smiles.

"So…about that rabbit," he prompts, grinning, as if nothing ever happened.

I find myself faltering through the rest of the story, the zest for it gone.

Longshot, who hardly ever speaks at all, has an adept talent for leaving me tongue-tied.

I wonder if he loves me. He stood by me when no one else would and he just told me I'm beautiful, so I suppose, to some extent, he does.

The question is: Do I love him?

_**A/N: So first, perhaps I should explain Shadow's ability to heal. I was thinking that since that guy (I can't remember his name right now and don't really feel like trying) told Katara once that great benders sometimes have healing abilities, I thought I might as well give Shadow that ability. This was the whole reason for writing this story! Explaining Smellerbee's weird voice and short hair! So how'd I do? :)**_

_**Oh! On the subject of Longerbee…too soon? I don't know, since they're kind of young, but whatever y'all think. :)**_


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